Rebirth
by Crocodile-Kuro
Summary: When Naruto and Sasuke kill each other at the final battle of the 4th Great Shinobi War, Sakura makes a desperate choice to bring them back. However, she could only get to Naruto. What will be the consequences of her actions? Sakura   FemNaruto
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

"Sakura Haruno. Step forward."

Nervously, Sakura stepped toward the bright light in the center of the otherwise dimly lit room. "This is it," she thought.

A voice rang out across the room. "Sakura, you have been put on charges of betrayal for using forbidden techniques for your own personal gain. How do you plea?"

"I plead guilty, sir."

"Do you understand the predicament you're in right now?"

"Yes, I do, and I don't regret it."

"For those of us who don't know, let the court hear the case filed by the ANBU Black Ops."

A shinobi with a bird mask stepped forward and read from a scroll.

"Sakura Haruno has been put on trial for actions taken after the Fourth Great Shinobi War. During the final battle of that conflict, Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Sasuke Uchiha, Konohagakure's most hated rogue ninja, killed each other, effectively ending the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans. In desperation, three days after all fighting had ceased, Sakura deliberately performed the forbidden Rebirth Jutsu on Naruto Uzumaki. Three days later, she attempted to perform the same jutsu on Sasuke Uchiha, but was thwarted when the ANBU Black Ops captured her. She has been held in solitary confinement for one month, until she could be presented before the Ninja Council today."

After he was done reading, the shinobi stepped back into the darkness.

The voice, which belonged to the Head Councilman, rang out again. "How do you explain these actions, Miss Haruno?"

Sakura said, "What else could I do? They were my teammates, and I felt guilty because I couldn't protect them from themselves. When Sasuke left Konohagakure, I felt horrible about not being able to stop him. When Naruto promised to bring Sasuke back no matter what, I felt even more horrible. Finally, when they killed each other, I fell into despair. I wanted to do something to bring our team together again, so I thought I could use the Rebirth Jutsu to make it happen. I knew it was forbidden, but I felt that I had to do something for them at least once."

"So what you are telling us is that you felt a responsibility to set things right, even knowing that you could very well lose your life in the process?"

"I did."

"We have testimonials from Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage and to whom you have taken apprenticeship, and Kakashi Hatake, your Genin team leader. They claim that you never performed any actions that went against the wishes of Konohagakure and were for the benefit of your team. Do you believe this to be accurate?"

"I do. I would never do anything to hurt Konohagakure. I just wanted Naruto and Sasuke back."

There was a moment of silence while the council discussed the appropriate course of action. Finally, the Head Councilman spoke again.

"You have been monitored during this entire proceeding. We were watching for any signs of lying and ill intent, and you have shown none. Therefore, we have concluded that you pose no threat toward the shinobi world. However, the fact still remains that you performed a forbidden jutsu. That cannot be ignored."

Sakura looked to the ground and said, "I understand."

"Sakura Haruno, we have decided on a verdict. You will be banished from Konohagakure until such a time that we deem necessary. You will not be labeled as a rogue shinobi and you will not be listed in the bingo book, so you need not worry for your safety. If, after your banishment is over, you have done nothing to make us regret our decision to let you live, you may return to Konohagakure and resume your normal life. You have twelve hours to leave. That is all."

(Eleven and a half hours later)

Sakura arrived at the main gate leading out of Konohagakure. She had gathered all the belongings that could fit into a suitcase and backpack. She also carried a falcon that Tsunade gave her that would let her send for the rest of her things when she found a place to live.

At the gate, she saw all the people who have meant the most to her over the years. Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, the remaining Konoha 11 and several other shinobi were all gathered to bid her farewell.

Ino Yamanaka walked to Sakura and gave her a flower in a glass case. "Promise me that you'll plant this flower wherever you call home, and think of your home here whenever you look at it."

Sakura said, "Thanks, Ino. I'll be sure to do that."

Shikamaru Nara then told Sakura, "You know, you could have an escort tag along until you get settled down."

Sakura smiled and said, "I'd appreciate that, Shikamaru. Shall we?"

With that, Sakura Haruno tearfully left Konohagakure.

(Thirty minutes later, in the Hokage's office)

Shizune walked to Tsunade, who had gone back to work after seeing Sakura off, and said, "Milady, do you think Sakura will be alright?"

Tsunade said, "She's a tough girl. I don't think we have a problem."

Shizune asked, "Milady, is what Sakura did really that terrible? Why did she have to be banished?"

Tsunade said, "The Rebirth Jutsu that Sakura used isn't something to be messed around with. It's a miracle Sakura survived at all."

Shizune got a worried look on her face. "I don't like where this is going."

Tsunade continued, "When someone uses the Rebirth Jutsu, one of two things will happen. Usually, the one who used the jutsu would disappear, only to be reborn as a different person nine months later to a random woman who was close to him/her. Sakura got lucky and got the other effect."

Shizune asked, "What is this other effect?"

"Whoever the one who used the jutsu intended to use the jutsu on would be reborn nine months later to someone close to the user."

"So, since Sakura used it on Naruto, he will be reborn as a member of Sakura's family. I wonder who the jutsu will choose."

"I already know."

"Really? How?"

"If the one who used the jutsu and received the second effect was a woman, she herself will give birth to the reborn shinobi."

Shizune stared at Tsunade for a while, then said, "So thanks to this Rebirth Jutsu, Sakura will give birth to Naruto?"

"In nine months' time, yes."

"If this jutsu is so great, then…"

"It was forbidden because there were too many talented shinobi putting their lives on the line in order to resurrect loved ones. Think about it, Shizune. Would you want to lose your best shinobi to a jutsu that only has a slim-to-none chance of working the way you intend it to?"

Shizune said, "I guess not, milady, but I still feel sorry for Sakura. She's going to have to go through an awful lot all by herself."

Tsunade sighed. "As I said before, don't worry about it. She can take care of herself. Besides, I've already made arrangements to deliver her child when the time comes."

(Three months later, in a small border village)

"Miss Haruno! I hurt myself again."

"Really? Well, let's see how bad it is."

Sakura examined a small boy whom she had been seeing a lot of lately. Since she was banished, she found a quiet little village on the border of the Land of Fire. She quickly established herself as a doctor and used her training under Tsunade to help the villagers out as best as she could. She became quite popular in a short amount of time.

Her baby bulge was beginning to show through her clothes by this time. The boy noticed and said, "Miss Haruno, have you been eating a lot lately?"

Sakura looked down and said, "No, I haven't. I'm just expecting a baby soon."

The boy said, "That's so cool! I'll bet the kid will be as awesome as you."

Sakura laughed. "I think it'll be even greater." She then went back to examining the boy. "Well, you haven't broken any bones, but I suggest that you be more careful when playing next time."

The boy said, "I will. Thanks, Miss Haruno, and good luck with the baby."

Sakura sat down after the boy had left and started rubbing her belly. "Oh, Naruto. I can't wait to see you again."

(Six months later)

Sakura screamed in pain as she struggled through her fourteenth hour of labor. Tsunade carefully monitored her health as the baby was being born. After another hour, Sakura heard a baby crying and knew that it was over.

"Lady Tsunade, how is Naruto?"

Tsunade looked at Sakura and said, "Well, you might have to come up with a different name. It's a girl."

Sakura quickly sat up, worried. "Wait, does that mean…?"

Tsunade said, "Lay back down. What I meant was this may be a girl, but it's still Naruto. Your attempt at the Rebirth Jutsu was a success. You just have to rename Naruto, that's all."

Sakura smiled and couldn't hold her tears in any longer. "May I see her then?"

Tsunade laid the baby girl next to Sakura and left the two alone. Sakura looked at the baby girl that now embodied Naruto Uzumaki. She had Naruto's whisker marks on her cheeks and was already starting to develop Naruto's blond hair. The baby then opened her eyes to reveal blue irises exactly how Sakura remembered Naruto having.

Sakura thought for a while and finally came up with a name.

(14 years later)

"Natsumi!"

Sakura called out to the lake where her daughter, Natsumi Haruno, swam when she wanted to relax. After fourteen years, Sakura had developed EE-cup breasts and an hourglass figure. She gazed out and stared at the water, hoping Natsumi had heard her call.

Finally, a teenage girl emerged from the water and walked toward Sakura. This girl wore her long blond hair in two pigtails and sported an hourglass figure to match her mother's. Despite being fourteen, she had already developed D-cup breasts, which she was very proud of. For swimming she wore an orange and black bikini in a whirlpool pattern.

The girl approached Sakura and said, "Mom, do you have to yell? I was enjoying myself after that horrible training you put me through these past few days."

Sakura laughed. "I'm sorry, Natsumi, but I had to get your attention somehow."

Natsumi pouted. "Well, couldn't it have waited until later?"

"Well, it could've, but I don't think ramen tastes good cold."

Natsumi perked her ears up. "Ramen?"

"Yes. I made ramen for dinner tonight. But if you think it can wait until later…"

Natsumi jumped on Sakura and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Mom! It's been so long since I've eaten your ramen. It must be a special occasion."

Sakura smiled half-heartedly. "It's only been two weeks since I last made ramen for you, and you could say that it's a special occasion. I have something I need to talk to you about."

Natsumi cautiously followed her mother home, afraid to know what she wanted to talk about.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.**_

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Natsumi jumped out of her chair at what her mother said. Sakura looked her daughter in the eye and spoke without hesitation. "I am. I think the time is right for you to become a real shinobi. Make your way to Konohagakure; you'll get the best sensei there."

"But Mom, what about my life here?"

"I know it'll be hard, dear, but you have to let this village go. You'll still be able to visit from time to time."

"What if I don't want to be a shinobi? What if I want to become a doctor like you? I don't want my decisions made for me! How could you do this to me so suddenly?"

Sakura got up and hugged Natsumi tightly. "Let me tell you something, Natsumi. I was a medic-nin before I became a full-fledged doctor, and Konohagakure has some of the best medic-nin on the planet. You can pursue a doctoring dream there while being a medic-nin. Even if you just wanted to be a doctor, you need more training than I can give you here."

Natsumi started to cry. "It still isn't fair. I want to stay here."

Sakura held Natsumi closer. "If there was a way for you to stay here, I would take it. Please, Natsumi. I don't want you to fully devote yourself to being a shinobi. Just give it a shot. That's all I ask."

Natsumi sighed. "Fine. I'll try it out for a year."

Sakura smiled. "Thank you, Natsumi. I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun."

Natsumi rolled her eyes and looked at a picture she hadn't noticed before. It was sitting on top of a small cabinet in the corner of the room. Natsumi walked to the picture to get a better look at it.

Natsumi saw a tall man with white hair and a mask with three kids that looked a little younger than she was. One kid was an emo boy with a blue shirt staring away from the camera. The next kid was a flat-chested girl with long pink hair who kind of reminded her of her mom. The last kid was a goofy-looking blond boy with whisker marks like she had staring angrily at the emo boy. She couldn't explain why, but Natsumi felt a sense of familiarity with this boy.

"Hey, Mom," Natsumi said. "What is this picture from?"

Sakura looked at the picture and sighed. "This was my old shinobi team. There's me, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha."

Natsumi looked at her mother. "You, Naruto and Sasuke were on the same team? What caused Sasuke to be a villain? Why did Naruto and Sasuke hate each other so much?"

Sakura closed Natsumi's mouth and said, "Those are questions for another day, dear. For now, just go upstairs and get ready to leave tomorrow."

Natsumi went upstairs and went to her room. It didn't take her long to decide to pack all her clothes and a few personal belongings. She also took all the money she had collected working as a waitress at the town's only restaurant when her mother wasn't wearing her down with shinobi training.

She went downstairs to tell her mom that she was done, but stopped just short of the last few steps when she heard stifled cries. She peeked around the corner of the stairs to see her mother staring at the picture with tears in her eyes.

Sakura looked at the picture she took with her genin team during their short time together. She thought back to all the adventures she had with them, all the hardships they endured, and what she did to Naruto. She started to cry when the memories all came back.

"Oh, Naruto. I'm so glad I was able to at least get you back," Natsumi heard her mother say. She didn't know what she meant, but somehow she felt…glad. She couldn't explain it, but Natsumi was happy that her mother got what she wanted, whatever it was.

The next morning, Natsumi stepped outside the house that she called "home" for fourteen years, knowing she wouldn't be back in a long time. She turned to her mother, who was standing beside her, and started to cry.

"What's wrong, Natsumi?" Sakura asked.

"It's just that…you've never let me go anywhere more than a mile away alone before, and we've never even been to Konohagakure. How will I live there all by myself? I'm scared, Mom."

Sakura hugged Natsumi and said, "It's okay to be scared, dear. I was scared when I moved out here. I didn't think I would make it here, but I did. Now, it's your turn to do the same in Konohagakure. Just know that I'm proud of you, Natsumi."

With a newfound sense of confidence, Natsumi hugged her mother one last time and left for Konohagakure. _"I will make you even prouder of me, Mom!"_ Natsumi thought as she walked out of the village. _"Just wait. I'll be as great a doctor as you one day."_

(3 days later)

"Ugh! I look like a wreck. This is why I hate travelling!"

Natsumi dragged her suitcases on the ground and wearily walked up to the gates of Konohagakure. She had walked in the direction her mother had pointed out for three days, but she felt terrible. Between running away from wild animals and getting sick from eating the wrong berries, avoiding booby traps and making sure no one was watching her go to the bathroom in the woods, she was worn thin and had ruined the clothes she decided to travel in.

Natsumi was relieved to see the gates of the village her mother had told her to go. Here, she would receive the greatest training she could find, according to her mother. She couldn't wait to get started.

With a huge smile on her face, Natsumi couldn't help but yell. "LOOK OUT, KONOHAGAKURE! NATSUMI HARUNO HAS ARRIVED!"


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.**_

"Lady Tsunade, there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"Someone I think you'd be very interested in meeting."

Tsunade turned in her chair to see her assistant Shizune escort a young woman into her office.

Tsunade looked at this new girl for a while, taking note of her slender figure and considerable bust. Her most striking features, though, were her blonde pigtails and whisker marks on her cheeks just below her blue eyes.

The girl nervously bowed and addressed Tsunade as soon as she entered. "H…Hello, Lady Hokage. I'm Natsumi Haruno, and-"

"Sakura Haruno's daughter Natsumi?" Tsunade asked abruptly.

"Um, yes. I do have a mother named Sakura. Do you know her?"

"Do you know much about her past?"

"I was told that she was a medic-nin in Konohagakure before becoming a doctor at home, but I don't know very much after that."

Tsunade smiled. "You mean she didn't tell you? She was my apprentice."

"What? The Hokage's apprentice? Mom told me some guy named Kakashi was her sensei!"

"Did someone say my name?"

Natsumi turned to see a tall man with silver hair walk into the Hokage's office. He kept the lower half of his face covered in a mask and had his left eye covered by a headband. His right eye had a few wrinkles around it, telling Natsumi that he wasn't young, but he wasn't too old. If anything, Natsumi was sure that he was middle-aged.

"Sorry I'm late, Lady Hokage, but I was-"

"Excuses can come later. Kakashi, I'd like you to meet Natsumi Haruno, Sakura's daughter."

Kakashi turned to the girl by his side and stared. "…well, she does have a look in her eyes that reminds me of Sakura."

"Is that a good thing?" Natsumi nervously asked, twiddling her toes.

"It's…not bad." Kakashi nervously replied.

Tsunade stared at the two for a minute, then finally broke the awkward silence. "So, Natsumi, what did you want with me?"

"Hm? Oh! I wanted to see if you could consider letting me be a shinobi her for a while."

"Well, we usually send kids who want to be shinobi to the academy to test their skills."

"Lady Hokage, I trained with my mother to be a shinobi. I know how to walk on water, walk up trees, create shadow clones-"

"All the same, we'll have an academy teacher examine your proficiency at these and other skills. I'm sorry, but if you want to be a shinobi you have to take this test. It's standard procedure for outsiders who want to join this village's shinobi army."

Natsumi looked down and uttered, "I understand."

"In the meantime, why don't we get you some place to live while you're here?"

Natsumi looked up and said, "Mom told me that I had a grandmother living here. Maybe I could-"

"I'm sorry, Natsumi, but your grandmother died of pneumonia three weeks ago."

"Oh. That stinks."

While Natsumi was briefly mourning her grandmother (whom she had never met), Kakashi said, "If I may, there is that one apartment where 'he' used to live in the Eastern District."

Natsumi looked up and said, "Wait, 'He' as in 'Naruto'? I know that place! I talked with the landlord and put all my luggage there already."

Tsunade looked at Natsumi and asked, "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know. I just got a feeling that I was going to be living in that apartment. Actually, I've been walking around here like I already know where everything is, even though this is my first time here. It's really spooky."

Tsunade subtly sharpened her gaze on the girl. "Yes, it is spooky. Well, Natsumi, go get yourself settled in. I'll arrange for our best Academy professor to evaluate your shinobi skills on Saturday. That'll give you three days to prepare. Okay?"

"That sounds fair. Thanks, Lady Hokage."

As Natsumi left the mansion with Shizune escorting her, Kakashi looked at Tsunade and said, "It's hard to believe that's now Naruto."

"I know. She acts much more respectful that the brat we all know and love, and yet they are the same person. Sakura must have been stricter with Natsumi about her manners. Also, she's gaining some of Naruto's memories, but still doesn't know about her past life. I guess this is what happens when the Rebirth Jutsu works the way it was intended."

"It would seem. Anyway, you said you had a special assignment for me."

"Yes. It's time a certain someone got back to work in the village."

(3 Days Later)

"All right, Natsumi. Show me what you've got."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Natsumi prepared to show off her skills to Iruka Umino, who was the Head Instructor at the Academy. He was fairly tall with a scar running across his face and a small beard on his chin. He wore the standard uniform of Konoha shinobi, but didn't seem at all intimidating, as Natsumi expected from a person of his status.

Natsumi proceeded to display her various skills to Iruka, ranging from producing Shadow Clones to effortless Transformation techniques. She also climbed trees, walked on water and utilized weapons with great proficiency.

Iruka looked at Natsumi and said, "Are you sure you haven't been in an academy before? Because those were some of the most impressive feats of talent I've ever seen from someone your age in a long time. I'll put in a recommendation to Lady Hokage to accept you as a Genin-level Shinobi."

Natsumi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei. I was afraid I wouldn't be on par with your other students."

"Well, you proved yourself wrong here. You should be proud to have the skills you have. Say, why don't I treat you to some ramen for a job well done?"

Natsumi jumped on him and hugged him tightly, happily saying, "Thank you so much! It's been soooo long since I've had ramen of any kind!"

Iruka laughed, saying, "Well, you haven't tasted ramen until you've had Ichiraku ramen. Let's go over there now."

"Anything you say, Iruka-sensei!"

(That night)

"Really? She loves ramen just as much as Naruto did?"

Iruka rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah. I guess some things never change, huh?"

Tsunade chuckled and said, "Yeah. Anyway, thanks for letting Natsumi pass."

"I didn't let her pass; she deserved to pass. It's obvious that Sakura was preparing her for this for a long time."

"Well, Sakura's the kind of girl who likes to take matters in her own hands. I wouldn't be surprised if she forced Natsumi to train from time to time."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Kakashi opened the door and said, "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I got the person you requested."

As the guest entered her office, Tsunade smiled and said, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It's good to be back, but why did you send for me?" The person asked.

"Because, there's a special job I'd like you to do."

(Two days later)

"How long are we going to wait?"

Natsumi was pacing at the base of the Hokage Monument while two boys she had just met, Hinajin Hyuga and Shikako Nara, watched.

Shikako had shaggy hair and wore a very casual outfit: a button-up short-sleeve shirt over a white undershirt with jeans and shinobi sandals. He seemed a little distant and always watched other people, as if they were only there to entertain him.

Hinajin had a shorter hairstyle that looked shaven from a distance. He wore a leather jacket and dark glasses (which concealed his Byakugan eyes) with black pants and black sandals on his feet. Unlike the other boy, who watched other people, this boy only had eyes for Natsumi.

"W…Well, Natsumi, th…they did tell us that our sensei would be a special person from out of town," Hinajin nervously said. "Maybe he or she is just taking a long time to get here."

"Oh, come on, Hinajin," Shikako said. "Do you really think they'd make us wait that long? Besides, we arrived early. The teacher's supposed to present him/herself at noon, and it's only 11:55."

Natsumi apologized, "I'm sorry, you guys, but I'm just not very patient when it comes to meeting people on time. I can't stand people who are late."

After five minutes, a rustling was heard in the bushes. Natsumi, Hinajin and Shikako looked to see Kakashi and Tsunade walk up to them.

"Well, I'm glad everyone's here," Kakashi said.

"Are you ready to meet your new sensei?" Tsunade eagerly asked.

"I don't care. Just as long as he/she's good," Shikako replied.

"I…I think I'm ready, Lady Hokage," Hinajin said.

"Of course I am! Is he someone cool, like you?" Natsumi asked.

"Why, yes. In fact, I think you'll like her," Tsunade said. She then turned around and said, "You can come out now."

A third person walked through the bushes and presented herself to the new team. While Shikako and Hinajin bowed in respect, Natsumi only stood in place, confusion taking over her expression. "What's going on here?"

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm your Genin Team leader, Sakura Haruno."

* * *

><p><em>QUICK NOTES<em>

_Every canon character is 14 years older than their current canon age._

_Shikako Nara is the son of Shikamaru Nara and Temari._

_Hinajin Hyuga is the son of Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inuzuka._


	4. Chapter 4

Natsumi stared in confusion at her own mother, who was now wearing a reddish pink shirt with an opened Konoha vest, blue pants and black ninja sandals. She wore a headband with the Konoha emblem on her forehead and black gloves on her hands.

Hinajin, after bowing, said, "Wait, you're name's 'Haruno' too? Th…That means you're…you're—"

"Natsumi's mom. I think we get it, Hinajin," Shikako coldly said.

"B…But my mom told me you were—"

"Banished. Yes, I was," Sakura said. "But my banishment's been lifted, so I can resume my life here again."

Natsumi yelled out, "What the hell are you talking about? Why were you banished? Was that little town really our home? How come you never told me any of this before?"

Sakura, now a little saddened, kept her smile and replied, "I'll answer your questions later, Natsumi. For now, let's spend some time getting to know our new team."

After three hours of getting to know Hinajin and Shikako and running preliminary drills, Sakura and Natsumi returned to the apartment Natsumi settled into.

"How? How could you keep this a secret from me, your own daughter? Maybe I could've been a little more prepared for something like this!"

"Honey, I tried to—"

"NO! Don't pull that sweet-talk routine on me again! I'm no longer some weak pathetic girl! I want to know the truth, now!"

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady! I am still your mother! I swear, after all this time, I can't believe I still have to put up with that attitude of yours, Narut—" Sakura cut herself off before she finished.

Natsumi got quieter and said, "W…what was that? Were you just going to call me 'Naruto'? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"No, Natsumi. I…I didn't mean to…"

"Please, Mom. Tell me what happened. I don't want to be kept in the dark any more."

Sakura turned away for a brief moment, then said, "Okay, Natsumi. I'll tell you."

Sakura then spent an hour explaining how Sakura used the forbidden Rebirth jutsu on Naruto to be reunited with him in life. The ANBU Black Ops shinobi captured her before she could do the same to Sasuke, and the Ninja Council decided to banish her for an indeterminate amount of time. During that time, Sakura established herself as the doctor in a small border village and gave birth to Natsumi, the reincarnated Naruto.

For fourteen years, Sakura trained Natsumi to be a shinobi before she sent her daughter to Konohagakure to receive real training. A few days after she sent away Natsumi, Kakashi came and told her that her banishment was over and she could return to Konohagakure. He also said Tsunade needed her for an unknown task. After returning to Konohagakure, Tsunade informed her that she was going to lead Natsumi's genin team.

"—then I met you, Hinajin and Shikako this afternoon. That's the entire story."

Natsumi stood stunned. She picked up a picture of her mother's old team and stared at Naruto. She finally understood why she felt that she knew him somehow: she was him! It also explained why she could find her way around Konohagakure on her first day without a map.

"Mom, this is…really weird. You're telling me I'm your reincarnated **boyfriend**?"

"He wasn't my boyfriend, Natsumi. He was just someone I came to admire because of his determination and his spirit for never giving up on anything. He was a very close friend that I didn't want to lose. I'll understand if you hate me for this."

"…I can't. There's no way I can hate you. You're my mom. I'll always care about you, no matter what."

"That's nice to hear, Natsumi."

"Just don't embarrass me around the others, okay?"

"I'll try not to," Sakura chuckled. "Come on, Natsumi. My friend Hinata Hyuga made a banquet to honor my return."

"Hinata?" An image of the girl from Naruto's past flashed through Natsumi's head, causing her to blush. "That's Hinajin's mom, right; another friend of Naruto's? I don't know if I feel like—"

"Natsumi, don't be a party pooper. It'll be fun. I was even told there'd be a ramen bar just for you."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Natsumi ran out the door for the Hyuga compound. Sakura smiled and thought, _"Still the same Naruto. Ramen's your one weakness."_ She then walked out the door and followed after Natsumi.

(An hour later)

Natsumi mingled with Sakura's childhood friends and learned more about her mother and her past self's lives. She learned from Ino Yamanaka about Sakura's embarrassing habits and nicknames. _"This is going to be great guilt-trip material."_ From Tenten she learned about Naruto's strength of spirit. _"Wow, I've got some big shoes to fill, it seems."_ From Shikamaru, she learned about how incredible Naruto was in the face of adversity because of the Nine-Tailed Fox being sealed within him. When asked what happened to the Fox, Shikamaru told Natsumi that there were Sealing Justu specialists on hand in case the Fox was removed from Naruto in any way, so the Fox was sealed in a scroll until a suitable jinchuriki could be found. _"Would I even be able to contain it the way I am now?"_

Natsumi wandered out to the balcony to get some fresh air. While staring at the sky, Hinata Hyuga walked to her and tried to socialize with her.

In the last 14 years, Hinata had been appointed the head of the Hyuga household, married Kiba Inuzuka and had two children, one son and one daughter. On this particular night, she wore a dark lavender kimono with purple floral patterns tied with a purple obi sash.

"Hello, Natsumi," Hinata said in a polite tone.

"Hi, Miss Hyuga."

"You can call me Hinata. I don't mind."

"That's awfully nice of you. Is that because I was once your biggest crush?"

"What? N…No! I mean…who told you about that?"

"My mom and Ino. It's all they talked about when they were together; they were arguing about whether or not you'd still be shy around me even though I'm not the Naruto you loved."

"I see." Hinata couldn't help but blush at this.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk about, Hinata?"

"Well, if you need anything, like training or a place to hang out, I'd be happy to help. Just let me know."

"Thanks, Hinata. I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm glad. Hinajin seems to like your company a lot, so I want to do something nice for him and his team."

"That's so sweet, Hinata. You're such a caring person."

Hinata blushed deeply and said, "Thank you."

"You okay? You're blushing an awful lot."

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just Naruto always said the same thing about me in the past."

"I know."

"What?"

"Somehow, I just knew to say that to you. I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth."

"That's…I don't know what to say or how to explain that."

"Maybe Naruto's trying to comfort you through me, since he can't be here now."

At this, Hinata got red and fainted. Hinajin saw her and came out to check on her. However, as soon as he saw Natsumi, with the moon shining behind her head, he fainted right beside his mother.

Natsumi sighed and thought, _"I guess being shy's a family thing."_ She then blushed and smiled. _"It's still cute, though."_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.**_

After a month of training and D-Rank missions, Natsumi, Hinajin, Shikako and Sakura stood in the Hokage's office waiting to be assigned their next mission.

"Lady Hokage," Sakura said, "Sakura Squad is ready for its next mission."

"I see that," Tsunade said, rummaging through a pile of papers. "I'm just wondering what mission to give you."

"I was wondering if we could get a C-Rank mission for a change," Natsumi calmly stated.

"A C…C-Rank? Are you se…serious, Natsumi?" Hinajin nervously asked.

"Don't get your hopes up," Shikako said. "The odds of an amateur squad getting a C-Rank mission are slim to none. There's no way—"

"Actually, I do have a C-Rank mission for you," Tsunade said, surprising Hinajin and Shikako. "It's the only genin-level mission I've got right now, and I think you're all capable of handling it easily."

"Thank you, Lady Hokage," said Sakura.

"Bottom line of this mission, there's a travelling performing troupe that's looking for protection. This particular troupe is usually hired to perform for feudal lords and aristocracy, so they get paid a handsome amount of money for each performance. With that much revenue, they make a prime target for bandits. The route they're taking next, Sword's Edge Pass, is known for criminal activity above all else. I want you to protect the troupe until they make it to their next performance."

Sakura's squad shot to attention and shouted, "Understood!"

"Good. Two members of the troupe will be waiting for you at the front gate in an hour. They'll take you to the rest of the troupe, then your mission begins. Don't let me down."

"We won't, Lady Hokage. I'll make sure of it," Sakura happily said. With that, Sakura led her team out of the room, then told Hinajin and Shikako to gather all the equipment they'd need.

(30 minutes later; in Natsumi and Sakura's apartment)

"Are you excited, Mom?" Natsumi asked after she had stuffed her duffel bag with a spare set of clothes, some sealing scrolls and an assortment of tools.

"What are you talking about, Natsumi?"

"This is your first big mission in 15 years. You can put all that ninja training to practical use again."

"Yeah, it is a little exciting. I just hope I don't make any other foolish mistakes."

"What do you—" Natsumi stopped herself after she saw her mother turn her head slightly. She then put her hand on Sakura's shoulder, smiled and said, "Don't be upset, Mom. I told you I'm not upset at all. No mater what, I'll always care about you. It's just that now you can really punish me if I act up too much."

Sakura managed a smile as she thought about all the times she had scolded Naruto whenever he did something stupid, and how she'd force Natsumi to do a week of chores whenever she acted up as a kid. "Thanks, Natsumi. I needed to hear that. Now let's join the others. They're probably already packed and at the front gate."

(15 minutes later)

Sakura and Natsumi walked up to the front gate to see Hinajin already waiting for them.

"Are you ready to go, Hinajin?" Sakura asked.

"Ye…yeah, Sakura-sensei. I told my mother I'd be away for a mission, then grabbed some tools and food for us to use."

"Do you know where Shikako is?" Natsumi asked.

Hinajin blushed as he replied, "He…he said he…had to…to be extra sure he…he was prepared for…for this mission si…since it's C-Rank."

"_Just like his mother,"_ Sakura thought. _"I think he and Natsumi make a cute couple."_

"Sorry if I'm late," Shikako said as he calmly walked up to his team with a large bag on his back and a pack of scrolls on his leg.

"What took you so long?" Natsumi asked.

"Since this is a C-Rank mission, there's the possibility that we'll have to use our jutsu in one way or another. I just wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. It's a pain, I know, but it needed to be done."

"_Shikako definitely takes after his father,"_ Sakura thought.

"So now we just have to wait for those two people from the troupe, right, Sensei?" Natsumi asked Sakura. She tried her best to not call Sakura "Mom" around her squad members, trying to be as professional as possible. Sakura respected her decision by calling Natsumi by name instead of any embarrassing pet names.

"Yes, Natsumi. They should be here any minute now," Sakura replied.

"Excuse me, but are you here to help us?"

The group turned to see a man and girl walking up to them. The man was around 40 years old and had stubble all around his face. He wore a white shirt and dark grey pants, while sandals protected his feet from any pebbles.

The girl with him had long dark hair and wore a blue and purple dress. She had black pants under the dress in case of a draft and wore sandals as well. Natsumi noticed that the girl had piercing black eyes, almost like she was staring into a bottomless pit.

"Are you from the performing troupe?" Sakura asked.

"Yes we are. My name is Kamen, and this is Anki. We're part of the crew for the troupe."

"So you just set up the stage and handle the technical details, right?" Shikako asked.

"Pretty much, yes. You didn't expect an actor to risk his life coming to meet you, did you?"

"No. I expected a less-important member of the troupe would meet us. Less suspicion would be raised by potential enemies."

"Pretty sharp," Anki said. When Shikako thanked her, Anki instead looked back to where they came from and remained silent.

"A little cold, isn't she?" Shikako asked Kamen.

"Don't mind her," Kamen said. "She's just shy around others. Shall we?"

"Yes, let's," Sakura said before following Kamen and Anki to their troupe with Natsumi, Hinajin and Shikako behind her.

(30 minutes later)

Sakura and her squad came to a small clearing where they saw at least four wagons and fifty people scattered around. The people were finishing putting boxes of props and piles of wood in one wagon.

"Good," a woman yelled out. "Now get the costumes loaded up. We don't have all day!"

Sakura looked at the direction of the noise and saw a woman with long red hair shouting orders to the rest of the people assembled. She wore a gray jacket over a dark purple shirt with matching gray pants. The shirt showed much of her cleavage, but still covered what was important. Ovular glasses on her nose completed her ensemble.

"Karin? Is that you?" Sakura asked.

The woman looked over, saw Sakura and smiled. "Hey, Sakura. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Over 15 years, Karin. Why are you here?"

"Well, you already know this, but about the same time you were banished, I decided to give up being a shinobi. I still use healing jutsu from time to time, and I'm useful here as a sensor, but going on missions and risking my life all the time just didn't suit me well, so I decided to join onto this troupe to try something new to do. I've been with them ever since."

"Do you have to tell that story every time, Mom?" Anki asked. "It gets really annoying."

"Don't say that, Anki," Karin said. "Anyway, I'm glad you're back. Some of the dresses were ripped during inventory. Could you fix them before we have to get moving?"

"Sure," Anki dully said before she left to fix the dresses.

"Anki's your kid?" Sakura asked. "How'd it happen?"

"That's something for another time," Karin quickly said. "For now, could I trouble you to help load up the wagons for the move?"

"Not at all. Shikako, Hinajin, Natsumi, see if you can help out here in any way you can."

"Yes, Sensei," the three Genin said before splitting up to help out. Natsumi took one last look at Anki before heading over to load the lights. Anki also quickly looked at Natsumi before heading to her tent to fix the dresses that were ripped. Both thought the exact same thing.

"_I don't know why, but something about that girl seems familiar, like I know her from somewhere else."_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.**_

Sakura arranged her team for protecting the troupe's caravan. Hinajin and Shikako were at the front and back of the troupe respectively to keep an eye out for bandits as they travelled. Natsumi was standing on the roof of the wagon in the middle of the caravan, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary on either side. Sakura walked by the window of the middle of the caravan, right by a window where she could catch up with Karin.

Since Karin decided to live in Konohagakure, Sakura and Karin had grown a unique friendship due to them both being abandoned by Sasuke in one way or another. During the month Sakura was detained for using the Rebirth Jutsu on Naruto, Karin had visited her most every day to cheer her up. Before she was banished, Sakura learned from Karin that she was leaving the village for unknown reasons, but had vowed that she wouldn't appear in any nation's bingo book.

"So why'd you end up joining this caravan, Karin? Is it because of Anki?" Sakura asked, gesturing toward the girl who was still sewing together an expensive dress for the troupe.

"Yes," Karin answered. "After I got pregnant, I felt that being a shinobi wouldn't be the ideal life for my daughter. I didn't want to suffer the heartbreak you must have when Sasuke and Naruto died, so I told the Hokage that I wanted to travel the world somehow instead of continue being a shinobi.

After a month of wandering, I came across this second-rate theatre troupe that didn't know how to organize everything right. I had read quite a lot about theatre before Orochimaru forced me to serve him. I quickly knew what needed to be done and gained the troupe's trust. Thanks to me, they said, they were gaining popularity among the nobility. I've been with them ever since, even after Anki's birth."

"That's great, Karin! I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"What about you, Sakura? When was your banishment lifted?"

"Only a month ago. This is actually the first C-Rank mission my team has had."

"It must be really cool," Anki said, gaining Sakura and Karin's attention, "being able to travel the world and fight bad guys. I wish I could be a shinobi."

"What are you talking about, Anki? You get to travel a lot, don't you?" Karin asked her daughter.

"It's not the same, though. I work whenever I travel. There's no thrill or any sense of adventure. It's just one job after another. To be honest, I'm really bored."

Sakura giggled and said, "I actually wish my life was as simple as yours, Anki. I wouldn't mind being part of this troupe, rarely having to worry about danger."

"Then let's trade places!" Anki said, with an excitement in her eyes. "You can stay here and I can be an awesome shinobi!"

"It's not that simple," Sakura said. "I also have to take care of three younger shinobi and make sure they're ready to handle tougher assignments when they get older. I don't think you'd like that so much."

Anki, after pouting, just sat back in her corner and worked on the dress.

"I'm sorry about that, Sakura," Karin said. "Anki can get carried away sometimes."

"I don't mind, Karin," Sakura replied. "If you don't mind, I need some mother/daughter time of my own with Natsumi."

Sakura leapt onto the wagon where Natsumi stood and said, "How's it going? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Natsumi grumbled. "You don't have to be so nosy."

"I'm just worried about my daughter on her first C-Rank mission."

"I bet it's not my first, though."

"What are you—"

"Naruto," Natusmi said, surprising Sakura. "He went on C-Rank missions too, didn't he?"

Remembering their first assignment to the Land of Waves, Sakura said, "Yes. The very first one we got was only about a month after our genin team was formed, just like our team now."

"Did you finish it okay?"

"Yes, we did, although there were some troubles along the way."

"Like what?"

Before Sakura could answer, a battle cry was heard on the left of the caravan. Sakura and Natsumi immediately jumped off the wagon and sped through the forest to the source of the sound.

About ten meters in front of them, they could see a group of over twenty bandits getting ready to attack the caravan.

"This is it, boys!" the leader loudly proclaimed. "Those stupid actors' money will soon be ours!"

After hearing another battle cry, Sakura told Natsumi, "Get to higher ground," then slammed her fist into the earth, sending a shockwave through the ground and throwing the bandits off their feet, as well as forming a crater where they had been camping.

Natsumi simply stared at what her mother had done._ "Note to self,"_ she thought, _"don't get Mom really pissed off, 'cuz you won't live another day."_

"You're mine, bitch!" Natsumi turned to see a bandit jumping in front of her with a long sword drawn and over his head. Natsumi simply smirked, jumped to the bandit and kicked him in the face, instantly knocking him out.

After the bandits had been taken care of, Sakura turned to Natsumi and said, "Great work."

Natsumi put on a goofy grin and said, "Thanks, Mom! You were awesome, too."

Sakura smiled at the face her daughter made, almost a mirror image of the same face Naruto used to make.

"Natsumi, let's go back. We can't spend too much time away from the rest of the team," Sakura said.

"Okay, Mom!" Natsumi yelled as she leaped ahead of her mother.

Sakura caught up to her in no time, and they continued to head back to the caravan. When they returned, they couldn't believe what they saw.

The caravan had stopped because of a collapsed bridge necessary to get to the next location. Hinajin and Shikako were trying to defeat just one man, but they didn't seem to making any progress.

"Pathetic," the man said, before he released a wave of chakra that threw Shikako and Hinajin off their feet. "This is the strength of the Konoha shinobi now? I feel sorry for you weaklings."

Unable to control her anger, Natsumi ran up to the mysterious man, summoning many shadow clones to distract him.

"Just another feeble distraction," the man said, punching them ot before they could attack. "Is that the best you can do?"

"No, there's also this!" Natsumi yelled, jumping at the man with a glowing blue ball of chakra.

"_Natsumi,"_ Sakura thought, _"Is that…"_

"I wouldn't continue if I were you," the man said, pulling Anki in front of him. "Not unless you want to hurt your new friend."

Natsumi, seething with anger at the cowardly tactic, released her jutsu and growled, "You bastard!"

"I've accomplished my objective, so I have no reason to fight you anymore. I'll just take this girl back to my village, and leave you on your merry way," the man said, turning to leave.

As soon as he did, however, he found himself unable to move. Shikako smiled, as he had trapped him in his clan's infamous Shadow Possession jutsu. Against his will, he let go of Anki. Before Hinajin or Natsumi could do anything, Anki started attacking the man relentlessly. The attacks were so fast, Hinajin and Shikako had trouble keeping up with her. Natsumi and Sakura could, however, and they both noticed the same thing.

"_Her eyes,"_ Natsumi thought. _"Did they change color? I thought they were black. When did they become red?"_

"_The Sharingan,"_ Sakura thought. _"But how? Wait…don't tell me…"_

By the time Natsumi and Sakura broke out of their thoughts, the man had fallen, badly beaten and bruised. Sakura ran over and tied the man up as Anki collapsed. Natsumi ran to help and noticed that Anki's eyes were black again.

"Mom, Anki's unconscious! What do I do?" Natsumi yelled.

Sakura turned to her daughter after tying up the man. "She's probably suffering from chakra exhaustion. Natsumi, I need you, Hinajin and Shikako to stay with her until she recovers. I'll handle any future attacks, okay?"

"Got it!" Natsumi said, knowing better than to question her mother on anything medical. As she, Hinajin and Shikako hurried her to a wagon Kamen kept for those who couldn't walk with the caravan for one reason or another, Sakura walked over to Karin, who had hid in the wagon crying in agony the whole time.

"Karin, I think you owe me some answers. Why does your daughter have the Sharingan?"

"I…I…" Sakura could tell Karin didn't want to tell her anything. This just made her more uneasy about the situation.

"You'd better tell me the truth, Karin, because right now, my team just went up against a shinobi whose mission was to kidnap your daughter, not just a random member of the troupe. Tell me who she is now!"

Karin cried louder as she answered. "I…I didn't want you to figure it out! I couldn't lose her a second time!"

"Second time?"

"When you left to perform the Rebirth jutsu on Naruto, I followed you. I saw what you did to Naruto, and thought there'd be no harm in my trying it out. I wanted to be happy again, and he was the only one who could make me happy on the inside."

"He? …Oh no! Karin, don't tell me!"

"Anki…was the product of the Rebirth jutsu, used after you had done it to Naruto. She…is a reborn Sasuke!"


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

(14 Years Ago)

"What is she doing?" Karin thought as she witnessed Sakura performing hand signs over Naruto's body. She quickly wrote down the sequence in a small notebook and continued to observe. After a while, Naruto's body gave off a bright light, then suddenly disappeared.

Sakura opened her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "That was more exhausting than I thought. I'd better rest a while before doing this to Sasuke."

As Sakura walked away toward a nearby village to rest, Karin emerged from her hiding place, looked at her notes on the situation and thought, "What exactly did Sakura do to Naruto? She also mentioned something about doing the same thing to Sasuke. Wait! Is this some kind of reincarnation jutsu? Did Sakura give Naruto a second chance at life?"

Karin looked over at the corpse of Sasuke, laying three meters from where Naruto was. Despite the hardships Karin had to endure because of him, she couldn't help but let her feelings of love overtake her. "I can't just stand by like this! I'm sorry, Sakura, but I'm helping you bring Sasuke back." She then quickly performed the hand signs, closing her eyes for concentration. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed Sasuke's body was gone.

"Okay, now what happens? Is there a time delay or something? Stupid Karin! Why did you just perform a jutsu without knowing that it does? I guess I should check up on this in the archives."

(2 Days Later)

Karin browsed through the books and scrolls in the library, hoping to find the jutsu that she and Sakura had used on Sasuke and Naruto. Eventually, she threw the books and scrolls to the ground in frustration after wasting another hour looking for the jutsu.

"Damn it all! Why is this so hard? I'm just looking for one simple jutsu!"

Just as she was about to give up, a thought ran through Karin's head. "Wait, why should I waste more of my time here? I can just sneak a peak at Sakura's notes at her home. I'm sure she kept them somewhere."

With this new goal in mind, Karin waited until she was sure Sakura had left her house for the day before she snuck into her bedroom. Karin wasn't too amazed at how clean the room was.

Almost immediately, Karin's eye caught a book on Sakura's desk. She quickly went over to it and opened it from the back; certain that Sakura's most recent work would be recorded there.

Sure enough, the first thing Karin found was the sequence of hand signs both Sakura and Karin had used on Naruto and Sasuke. Taking a look at what was written earlier, Karin quickly jotted down what was inscribed in the book without reading it. She then quickly put the book where she had found it and went back to her house.

In the safety of her own home, Karin now took the time to read what Sakura had discovered: the Rebirth Jutsu. Reading all about the jutsu's effects and the serious risks involved with performing the jutsu, Karin stared in both horror and amazement.

"Sakura, what have you gotten yourself into here? I thought you were bringing those two back to life, but not like this."

Karin then grabbed her stomach and got a sense of dread. "Now I'm going to have to give birth to Sasuke because of this jutsu? And raise him up from scratch, too? This is too weird."

(1 Day Later)

Karin sat down in front of the prison cell holding Sakura. Karin had just learned that she was going to be put on trial and punished for using the Rebirth Jutsu.

"Hi, Karin," Sakura said cheerfully. "How've you been?"

"Better than you, apparently," Karin replied. "Why did you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why risk your life to bring back Naruto and Sasuke? This is a dangerous jutsu you used. Do you realize you could've died?"

"I understand that."

"And yet you went through with it? How stupid can you be? The Naruto and Sasuke you knew killed each other during the War, so why risk your life to bring back two lives that will never be the same as you remember them? You know they won't be the same people you knew, right?"

"Of course I know that. I just don't care."

"What?"

"I just wanted us to be together again. To laugh together, cry together, share each other's feelings; I wanted to have our old friendship back." Sakura then started laughing. "I guess I really am as stupid as you say, Karin."

"How's that?"

"I just can't let go of the past. I want to relive those glory days of Team 7, even though they're just a distant memory now. I really am hopeless."

(25 Days Later)

"Sakura, I'm quitting being a shinobi."

"Why, Karin? You're a great shinobi!"

"So I keep being told, but I feel like I don't look before I leap often enough."

"Is there something wrong?"

"I made a mistake that can't be taken back, that's all. I can't go on being a shinobi if I keep making mistakes like that again."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. This is something I have to deal with. Good luck with your trial, Sakura. Don't get yourself killed because of your mistake."

(Present Day)

Karin continued to cry after she had told Sakura the story. Sakura just stood with a shocked expression on her face.

"So, that mistake you made that made you quit being a shinobi was the Rebirth Jutsu and Anki?"

"I didn't want anyone to know. I also didn't want the new Sasuke to grow up around people who would hate him for who he used to be. I found this theater troupe shortly after I left and immediately thought it would be perfect 'family' that my baby could grow up with.

"As soon as Anki was born, I was filled with doubts on whether or not I'd be a good mother or not. I managed to get by, but every day I regret not having the Sasuke I knew and loved back. At first I worried that I might push Anki to be the same as Sasuke. Because of that, I was determined to keep her from following Sasuke's path, so I stayed with the troupe and got her helping out when she got older.

"Luckily, she showed talent in costuming, so she became the seamstress' apprentice, then eventually co-manager of the entire wardrobe department of the troupe. I was so happy, I thought I wouldn't have to worry about our past catching up to us. I guess I was wrong. No one can escape the demons of their past."

Karin continued to cry, ashamed of betraying the trust of one of the few true friends she had made in her life. Sakura, feeling sorry for her, wrapped her arms around Karin in a comforting hug.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed about, Karin. You managed to raise a wonderful child by yourself. I know you must have been scared when you first found out."

"Scared? I was horrified!"

"Do you think I wasn't? During my first year or so, I didn't know if I'd be a good mother or not. However, I still had a daughter, and I needed to take care of her. Learning as you go isn't all that bad. Also, don't keep these things a secret from me again. We're still friends, aren't we?"

Karin finally smiled and said, "Thanks, Sakura. I needed to hear that."

(That evening)

"How's Anki, Mom?"

"She's going to be fine, Natsumi. She just needs a good night's sleep."

Natsumi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Anki, sleeping peacefully on the floor of the wagon. She still couldn't believe how powerful Anki had proven herself to be. "She's really amazing, isn't she?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the rest of us struggled against the big guy and Anki beat him up no problem. Does she do shinobi training in her down time or what?"

"I think that'd be a question for her mother, Natsumi. Anyway, I'm going out on patrol. I'll need you to stay here and protect Anki while she's sleeping."

"Why do I have to?"

"Do you want her to be left unprotected while she's recovering? You're not going to be a good doctor if you neglect your patients."

Natsumi pouted and said, "Fine, I'll look out for her."

"That's my girl! I'll be back to relieve you in a few hours."

"Fine."

As soon as Sakura left, Natsumi continued to stare at Anki and thought about the attack.

"_There was no way that attack was a coincidence. Someone must've tipped off those guys in order to kidnap Anki, but who? One of the other members of the troupe? Why would they even want Anki in the first place? Is it because of those red eyes she keeps hidden?"_

"Hey, Natsumi!"

Natsumi looked up and saw Kamen enter the wagon with a small toolbox.

"How's Anki doing?"

"My mom took a look at her, and she just needs a good night's sleep."

"That's good news. I know things wouldn't be the same around here without her."

"Mr. Kamen, may I ask you a question?"

"Only if you just call me 'Kamen.' 'Mr. Kamen' makes me sound like some important person."

"Okay, Kamen, how long have you known Anki?"

"Let's see…I joined this troupe four years ago, so for that long, I'd say."

"What's Anki like?"

"She was always a shy girl, but she's good at what she does. I even remember the first time I saw her fix up a costume. The speed and efficiency of her work…she's a regular prodigy."

"I see," Natsumi said smiling. She then thought, _"Why do I feel happy about hearing that? I only met Anki a few hours ago. I barely know anything about her, so why am I so relieved that she's accepted?"_

She then saw an image of two boys, one raven-haired and one blonde, standing face-to-face and looking like they were going to kill each other. This only lasted a second, but Natsumi was nonetheless amazed at the sight.

"_Who were those people? They looked like the two boys in Mom's photo, Naruto and Sasuke. Wait, Mom said I was Naruto's reincarnation. Was that a memory of my past life? What's going on here?"_

Looking for something to get her mind off what had happened, Natsumi looked at Kamen, who had sat down at a desk and started making a mask. "Kamen, why do you make masks?"

Kamen smiled and said, "Because a mask is a unique thing. It can make a person become someone or something else simply by wearing it." As if to demonstrate his point, Kamen grabbed a mask from on the wall and put it on. "Masks are also very versatile, being able to perform many tasks."

Natsumi was about to ask about the other tasks, but then caught a faint odor in her nose. She desperately grabbed a cloth from her jacket and thought, "Damn! Some kind of gas. I need…to…" Natsumi collapsed on the floor with the cloth over her mouth while Kamen stood from his seat and walked over to Anki.

"Letting your guard down in front of a friendly face? Not a smart move for a shinobi to make."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: My apologies for taking so long to get this out. I have been busy with school and a play. I should be able to update this and other stories a bit more regularly now. Thanks for waiting! :)<em>**


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

At the end of the caravan, the shinobi that attacked earlier sat tied up and waiting. He seemed to be either meditating or asleep, but never showed a sign of fear or any negative emotion about being captured.

The fact that he wasn't scared troubled Shikako. He felt that there was some deeper layer to the attack, so he decided to investigate. Unknown to anyone, he had hidden himself at the bottom of the wagon the shinobi was being held. There he calmly watched the man, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Shortly after midnight, Shikako heard the door to the wagon open and footsteps creeping in. The next sounds he heard were the sound of a knife cutting ropes and the captured shinobi saying, "You sure took your time, didn't you?"

"Don't blame me for your blunder, Konki."

_"That voice,"_ Shikako thought. _"It sounds like..."_

"The plan you originally laid out would've taken too long to complete. The boss wants the Uchiha girl as soon as possible. Revision had to be made."

_"Uchiha?"_ Shikako thought. _"Could they be talking about Anki?"_

"I understand that he wants her, but you didn't have to jump the gun like you did! If you had stayed hidden and carried out your part as planned, we'd be relaxing at home right now rolling in riches! Now we've got to sneak away without letting those leaf shinobi catch us."

"I thought you'd be used to revising strategies by now, Hebiuso."

"Not like this. It's been four years since I last came up with a battle strategy on the spot. Anyway, we've got the girl; now let's go before someone wakes up."

As the footsteps walked out, Shikako lifted the floorboards he was hiding under and snuck out of the wagon.

(In the Mask Wagon)

Natsumi wearily opened her eyes after getting knocked out by the gas. As her vision focused, she noticed an empty bed next to her. She then sprang up and looked around to see the toolbox Kamen had brought in. Leaning in closer, she noticed a small hole in the side of the toolbox's handle.

_"Kamen must've rigged this toolbox to release gas whenever he wanted,"_ Natsumi thought. She then stared down at the cloth that was still in her hand._ "I knew it'd be a good idea to keep some smelling salts concealed on me. Now I've got to find Anki."_

She suddenly got another headache and started to see another image. The blond boy was raising his thumb to a pink-haired girl in a red dress and grinning. "Don't worry, Sakura! I'll bring Sasuke back! No matter how long it takes!"

Natsumi gripped her head as the headache cleared and her vision returned to the present. _"Another vision about him…and Mom was there this time…this can't be a coincidence. Something's definitely going on here. I'll have to talk to Mom and Lady Hokage about this when I get back."_

She stepped out the wagon to find Hinajin walking toward her. "N…Natsumi, I…I mean…Sakura-sensei wants to know how Anki's holding up."

"She's been kidnapped. I was knocked out by a gas attack, and Anki was taken while I was out. We've got to find her!"

"But the guy who tried to steal her has been locked away since this afternoon. Who could've tried to steal her?"

"It was Kamen," Shikako said as he came up to his two teammates. "Or rather, it was the missing-nin Hebiuso, an ex-shinobi from Kumogakure who's wanted dead or alive."

"Kamen? I can't believe-"

"Believe it, Hinajin," Natsumi interrupted. "He rigged his toolbox to gas me and nab Anki."

"Well, he just freed his buddy and took off for the woods with Anki," Shikako informed the others

"Dammit!" Natsumi yelled. "We've gotta catch them quick!"

"What's going on?" Sakura asked as she ran to her team, Karin following close behind.

"Kamen turned traitor and kidnapped Anki," Natsumi said.

Karin ran over to the Mask Wagon and cried in agony when she discovered Anki missing. She then stormed up to Natsumi and shook her violently. "What the hell were you doing? Sleeping on the job? You should've kept a sharp eye on her, you lazy bitch!"

"I was gassed. I probably would still be knocked out if I didn't coat a cloth with ammonium carbonate in case of gas attacks."

"You think I care about that right now? My daughter has just been kidnapped! Is this how the world can expect the reincarnation of the great Naruto Uzumaki to act? Well, it's pretty damn pathetic! Sure, he was clueless at times, but he wasn't a careless idiot like you! And now I've lost the only family I have left, and it's all your fault!" Karin sunk to the ground and wailed out her anguish.

Natsumi stood by Karin for a minute, letting her cry, then put her hand on Karin's shoulder and said, "I promise I'll do everything I can to get Anki back."

Karin sniffled and asked, "And why should I believe you?"

Natsumi, though distressed about the situation, smiled and said, "Because I never go back on my promises. Believe it!"

Sakura stood amazed at her daughter promising to return Anki to Karin. For a while, she thought that she'd gone back in time to when Naruto first set out to rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches. She remembered how Naruto made a lifelong promise to bring Sasuke back for her. In the back of her mind, she had blamed herself for Naruto's death; if she hadn't been so insistent on wanting Sasuke back, Naruto probably wouldn't have had to die trying to keep Sasuke alive.

_"Naruto,"_ Sakura thought, "_I'm sorry I was so selfish. I should've given up on Sasuke after you failed to bring him back the first time. I know you can't hear me now, but rest in peace knowing I'm not that selfish, impatient girl anymore. I can't change the past, but I can make sure no one has to suffer like I have!"_

"Natsumi," Sakura said, catching everyone's attention. "You're not going after Anki alone. Hinajin and I are coming with you."

Natsumi smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

"I take it I'm to stay here and protect the caravan?" Shikako asked.

"That's right," Sakura confirmed. "Hinajin, how good a tracker are you?"

"P…Pretty good, Sakura-sensei. My Byakugan can scan up to 700 yards ahead if I concentrate hard enough."

"No good," Shikako said. "They'll have gone much farther than that by now."

"Well, I do have another way of tracking them."

Before Sakura could ask, Hinajin bit his hand, pressed it to the ground and said, "Summoning Jutsu!" As the smoke from the summon cleared, the group saw a small, gray dog happily wagging its tail. "Hey there, Hinajin! It's been a while!"

"Shingi, I'll introduce you to everyone later. For now, I need your help finding someone."

"No problem! Just gimme a scent and I'll find 'em in two shakes of a tail!"

After Karin handed the dog the pair of shoes Anki wore before the ambush, Shingi sniffed around, then turned toward the thickest part of the forest and said, "I got her! She's movin' away fast, though. We've gotta move now if we wanna catch her."

Shikako began to lead Karin back to the caravan and said, "Don't let me hold you guys up; I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Thank you," Sakura said. She then turned to the forest and said, "Natsumi, Hinajin, let's go!"

"Yes, sensei!"

Karin watched as the three people and dog jumped out of sight in the woods. She then turned to Shikako and asked, "Don't you feel bad about having to watch this boring place instead of fight?"

"Not really. Fighting's a drag; I've never liked it. However, that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks up my sleeves."

"What are you talking about?"

"Miss Tayuya, I'd like to ask you to wake your carpenters. I've got a little project for them."

(In the forest)

Shingi and Hinajin led Sakura and Natsumi through the forest on their way to Anki and her abductors. During the trip, Natsumi couldn't keep her mind off the visions she had.

Sakura noticed her daughter deep in thought, so she asked, "Is something wrong, Natsumi?"

"It…It's nothing that can't wait."

"Natsumi, I need you to focus. We'll be facing trained shinobi, possibly jonin-level, so if there's anything on your mind, please tell me now."

With a sigh, Natsumi said, "I've been…seeing things...about Naruto."

"Wha...What kinds of things are you talking about?"

"Well, not exactly full memories, just bits and pieces of his life. I've only had two so far, but it's still disturbing me."

Sakura, after a brief pause, told Natsumi, "We'll talk with Lady Tsunade about this when we get back to the village, okay?" When Natsumi nodded in compliance, Sakura asked, "Just out of curiosity, what did you see?"

"I saw Naruto and Sasuke…I think before their final battle; then I saw him promising you he'd bring Sasuke back…something about a lifelong promise…"

Natsumi stopped talking when she noticed Sakura with tears in her eyes. Thinking the memories were getting to her, Natsumi sped up to get in front of her and said, "Hey, Mom, focus, remember? Keep your mind on the battle ahead! You can tell me what happened in the past after we've rescued Anki."

Getting the encouragement she needed to continue, Sakura smiled and said, "Just like Naruto…you really know how to lift someone's spirits. All right, let's get Anki back where she belongs!"

Natsumi smiled and nodded in agreement as she joined her mother and followed Hinajin deeper in the forest.


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

"How much farther is it to the rendezvous point, Hebiuso?"

"Quit asking me that, Konki!"

"I'm just anxious to get this girl to the boss."

"And you think I'm not? I've spent four years in disguise observing this girl. Now that she's finally awakened the Sharingan, I just want to drop her off with the boss and be done with that dumbass theater troupe!"

Konki looked over at the girl currently thrown over his shoulder, who was still recovering from seriously beating him up seven hours ago. "I still find it hard to believe this girl is an Uchiha."

"And yet you saw the Sharingan in her eyes when she beat you up. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will."

"What about Kakashi Hatake? He isn't an Uchiha, and he has the Sharingan."

"You'll know why soon enough. Now shut up and keep moving."

Konki continued for another mile, then looked back and frowned.

"We're being followed. I can sense a group of shinobi coming towards us."

"Damn. Fine, you deal with them. I'll take the girl to the boss."

"Right."

Hebiuso grabbed Anki and doubled his pace while Konki quickly took off in the opposite direction.

(With Natsumi's group)

"She's gainin' speed!" Shingi shouted to the others. "And we were so close to catchin' up, too!"

"They're on to us," Sakura guessed. "Shingi, keep on Anki's trail. We can't afford to lose her."

"I got it." Shingi shouted back. "Leave it to—"

"Incoming!" Hinajin warned the others just in time to dodge a punch from the big shinobi he and Shikako had fought this afternoon. Sakura and Natsumi stopped and stared down the shinobi.

"Hinajin, Shingi, don't slow down! Keep on her trail. We'll catch up as soon as we're done here," Sakura instructed the young Genin.

"But Sakura-sensei, are you sure? He's really strong!"

"We'll be fine. Just go!"

Hinajin reluctantly complied with Sakura's order and took off, leaving Natsumi and Sakura to fight against the big man.

"It was bad enough I had to fight against children, but now I have to beat up girls? This is just too sad."

Natsumi quickly retorted, "Well, considering a girl kicked your ass earlier, I don't think you're that tough. And here I was hoping to test my metal against a skilled opponent."

"Natsumi, what are you—"

"You better keep that mouth of yours shut if you know what's good for you," the big man said, clearly getting angry.

"Oh, is the big, tough shinobi scared of losing to a girl…again?"

Unable to hold back his anger, the man threw a punch at Natsumi, who quickly dodged and landed a kick on his face, knocking him back into a tree. Quickly getting up, he snarled at Natsumi, saying, "You're gonna wish you were never born, bitch." He then channeled his chakra into his fist and shouted, "Earth Style: Bedrock Coffin!"

Natsumi was surrounded by dozens of medium-size stones that bombarded her with attacks. She was too busy blocking them that she ignored two larger rocks rising from the earth on either side of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the man smirk. Realizing the situation, she tried to escape, but the smaller rocks kept her where she was.

Just when she was about to lose hope, Sakura punched the two large rocks hard enough to reduce them to dust. She then sped toward the big man and landed a punch on the right side of his face. However, the man wasn't sent back like he had with Natsumi, but instead smirked as Sakura winced slightly in pain. "Damn…Rock Armor."

"Did you think I'd let the same trick be used against me twice?" the man said as he punched Sakura, sending her back toward Natsumi.

"Mom, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a bruise. This isn't going to be easy, though. Now that he's got that Rock Armor active, our physical attacks aren't going to be that effective."

"Is there a weakness to it?"

"I can only think of two. One would be water style jutsu, but neither of us have water chakra."

"Great, so we're stuck with the second option. What is it?"

"The Rock Armor jutsu requires the user to be around stone in order for it to be continuously active. If we can lure him deeper into the forest, the armor won't be as effective and we can go in for the kill."

"Kill? Mom, are you really—"

"We can't afford to waste any more time, Natsumi. We have to win this fight, no matter what it takes. Sometimes shinobi have to kill in order to fulfill their missions. This guy is also trying to kill us, like when he used that jutsu to almost crush you."

Taking a deep breath, Natsumi said, "Okay, Mom. I've got a plan."

The big man walked forward and said, "Look, make this easy on all of us and just die already."

Natsumi looked up at the man and said, "Why the rush? I was just getting started."

"You're bluffing. You know you can't pierce my Rock Armor, so just give up."

"I just don't get what's so important about finishing us off quickly. It's obvious this is the only thing you're good for."

"What was that?"

"It seems to me that you two have very specific purposes. Your partner gets to do the cozy job of spying on people and quick escapes, and you're just the muscle, doing nothing but throwing your weight around."

"We're a team," the man said, struggling to contain his anger. "We have our own strengths and cover our weaknesses."

"So if I got this right, you're weakness is you're dumb as a brick who can't do anything but fight and look tough. Am I right?"

The man narrowed his glare on Natsumi and said, "What did you say?"

"Well, your partner was smart enough to fool everyone around him for four years and find a way to kidnap Anki under the cover of night. That kind of subtlety is lost on you, who probably can't even put his clothes on without help."

The man threw a punch in Natsumi's direction, who nimbly dodged it and continued taunting him, saying, "Wow, you couldn't hit someone to save your life. How you got to be a shinobi is beyond me." The man continued to throw punch after punch at the girl, who kept dodging and taunting him. She was careful to lead the man away while keeping his attention on her.

Finally, Natsumi stopped in front of a large tree next to a small lake, still leading the man on with her taunts. "Come on, my grandma has more skill than you, and she's been dead for a couple months now." The man continued to chase Natsumi and try to punch her, shouting, "Stand still so I can grind your head into the bedrock!"

Natsumi smiled and continued her taunts. After a while, she noticed something. "The ground is wetter than it was. This should be far enough."

Smiling, she stopped her run. The man ran up to her, clearly out of breath from the running and said, "What's wrong? Tired of running? I hope you're ready to die, 'cause no one is gonna be coming for you."

Natsumi laughed and said, "This is why I said you were dumb. You were so focused on me, there's one detail you forgot."

"And that's me!" Sakura said as she kicked the man's back, sending him to one knee briefly. The man got up and threw a punch at Sakura, who caught it and threw the man toward the trees. The man, stunned, asked, "Why isn't my Rock Armor working?"

"Because you aren't near any readily available stone, genius," Natsumi said. "Now, are you ready to give up?"

As the man got up, he shouted, "NEVER! I WON'T LOSE TO A COUPLE OF BITCHES!" He got to his feet, but started sinking into the ground. Unable to lift his legs, the man could only watch as Sakura delivered a powerful blow to his stomach. The man doubled over, unconscious from the blow, and fell into the ground. Because of the added weight of his armor, he sank below the ground.

Sakura looked to Natsumi and said, "Way to go, Natsumi. I've got to admit, you're getting the hang of this quicker than I thought."

Natsumi smirked and said, "Well, it's all because of your training, Mom."

As Sakura smiled, she said, "Anyway, we should catch up to Hinajin and Shingi. I left behind markers to lead us back on the right track, and I'm sure Hinajin is doing the same thing to help us get to him faster. Let's go."

(With Anki)

Anki slowly opened her eyes, exhausted from her fight with the big man who tried to kidnap her. Recognizing nothing from the caravan, she quickly took in her surroundings. She was in a dark, damp cave lit by torches. A small table and chair were tucked away in a corner. Books of some kind were scattered over the table.

Anki tried to get up, but found herself tied to another table. In a panic, she tried to weasel her way out of the ropes, but could barely budge in them.

"You might as well stop struggling, Anki," she heard a familiar voice say. "Those ropes are tied tight. I'd hate to have you ruin your flawless skin with rope burns."

Anki looked over and saw Kamen standing over her, with an evil look in his eyes. "Ka…Kamen? What's going on here? Where am I? Where's the caravan? Where's Mom?"

"Shut up." Kamen said, with an authority that made Anki obey him instantly. "You're in no position to be asking questions."

"It's alright, Hebiuso," a third voice said, causing Anki to look behind Kamen. The voice came from a man in his fifties walking up behind Kamen. He was skinny and had silver hair reaching down to his shoulders. He wore a green-gray jumpsuit and had a devilish smile on his face.

Anki got scared and said, "Who…who are you? What are you going to do to me?"

"Relax, little girl," the silver-haired man said. "It's not you that I'm after. It's your eyes."

Anki started to shed tears and asked, "Wha…why only my eyes? I don't understand."

"You don't have to. Just stay put a little while longer. I need to check up on a few things." The silver-haired man turned and sat down at the table, looking over the books.

Anki looked over to Kamen and asked, "Kamen, why are you…"

"My name is Hebiuso," he responded quickly. "Kamen was just a fake name so I wouldn't attract the wrong kind of attention."

"Why are you helping him? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends with an Uchiha? I don't think so. I wouldn't be caught dead being friends with one of those bastards."

Anki thought, "Uchiha? What is he talking about? Mom isn't an Uchiha, so there's no way I can be."

Anki was broken out of her thoughts when she heard books falling to the floor. "Hebiuso," the silver-haired man called, "could you help me put all these away. I'm afraid my strength isn't what it used to be."

"Sure, Boss," Hebiuso said as he walked over to help him. As his back was turned, Anki struggled to get out of the ropes. She didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out.

After a while, she felt some small tugging on the ropes. She looked to her left, on the wall mostly covered in darkness, to see one of the ninja boys that joined her the other day and a small dog loosening the ropes enough for her to slip out.

"Follow me," the boy said in a barely audible whisper, "I'll get you out."

(Outside the cave)

Sakura and Natsumi stopped in front of the cave Hinajin's markers led them to so they could catch their breaths. Sakura then turned to Natsumi and said, "We have to be extra careful once we go in, Natsumi. It's a confined space and too much could cause a cave-in that'll trap us for an indefinite amount of time."

"Got it," Natsumi responded as she looked into the cave. She was suddenly caught off guard when a scream of anger rushed through the cave, sending a chill down her spine.

As Sakura prepared to draw a kunai, she relaxed when she saw Shingi run out of the cave, followed shortly by Hinajin and Anki, who quickly ducked to the left on top of Natsumi as soon as they cleared the entrance. Sakura ran over to the two and immediately started to inspect them for any injuries.

"There are no injuries on either of you, so you should be fine," Sakura said. She was taken aback when Anki leaped into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"Please, please don't let them take me!"

"Who's "them," Anki?"

"We can answer that," Hebiuso said as he stuck a kunai into Sakura's leg. Natsumi threw a shuriken at him to drive him back, then dragged her mother along the ground to get the kunai out.

Hebiuso went back to the side of the silver-haired man, who laughed as he said, "Well, well, it's been a long time since I've seen that symbol. Konoha shinobi, right?"

Sakura looked at the man and gasped. "What? What are you doing here? You should be in prison!"

"You think I couldn't break out again after the last time? I've been hiding out around these parts for eight years now, plotting my revenge against your village. Don't worry, though. I'll spare you the trauma of seeing Konoha burn to the ground!"

Natsumi was about to ask who the man was, but suddenly got a headache. "Damn," she thought, "not again!"

For a brief instant, she saw Naruto, staring in shock at a younger Iruka Umino with a large shuriken in his back. There was another man on a tree branch above the scene, who wore the same grin the man in front of Natsumi wore. The vision ended and Natsumi stared at the man, now filled with anger.

She stood up and said, "Damn you! You won't get away with this, Mizuki!"


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

Team Sakura and Anki stared at the two men prepared to kill them. Sakura was lying on the ground, still in pain after a kunai struck her leg. However, her concern was how the supposed leader, Mizuki, managed to escape from prison eight years ago without the ability to use jutsu. She hadn't heard about this, even from Tsunade, when she returned from exile.

Deciding she would worry about that detail later, Sakura looked over to Natsumi, who stared at Mizuki with a look of anger and hatred. She thought, "Natsumi just met him and she's like this? Why would…wait! She must've remembered him from Naruto's past. Was it another vision?"

"Damn you!" Natsumi yelled. "Why would you want Anki in the first place?"

"The bigger question is why are you protecting her?" Hebiuso said. "She has Uchiha blood running in her veins, so she deserves to die!"

"Uchiha blood? But she wasn't born an Uchiha, was she?" Natsumi asked.

"Na…Natsumi!" Sakura said, causing her daughter to go to her side. Once out of earshot from Hinajin, Sakura whispered to her, "I'll tell you everything later. For now, defeat those two with Hinajin's help."

"…okay, Mom. I'll do it."

Natsumi walked over to Hinajin and asked, "You ready to kick some butt, Hinajin?"

"Ye…Yes! I'm ready! Shingi, it's time to rumble!"

"Now we're talkin'!" the dog said as he transformed into a copy of Hinajin while Hinajin assumed a more animalistic look. "Been a while since we cut loose like this, Hinajin. Hope ya haven't gotten rusty."

Hebiuso drew a sword as he said, "So you're of the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans? Don't think that'll give you an advantage against me!"

Hinajin and Shingi ignored his statement as they began to rush Hebiuso with Fang Passing Fang. Hebiuso, however, jumped into the air, weaved signs and thought, "Bringer-of-Darkness Jutsu!"

All at once, Hinajin and Shingi found themselves surrounded by pitch-black on all sides. Shingi sniffed the air and told Hinajin, "Hey, this is Genjutsu, ain't it?"

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Hinajin replied before bringing his hands together and thinking, "Release!" Shingi did the same as the genjutsu dissolved around them. They barely had a chance to breath when a sword came flying at their heads. Hinajin and Shingi backed away from Hebiuso, now attacking them with skillful swordplay.

"This ain't lookin' good," Shingi replied as he dodged another swing from Hebiuso's sword.

"Shingi, why don't you go back? I can take care of things here," Hinajin said as he parried a sword attack.

"Ya sure, Hinajin?"

"I'm sure; just go!"

As soon as Shingi disappeared in a puff of smoke, Hinajin activated his Byakugan and tried to attack Hebiuso with the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist. However, Hebiuso used his sword to force Hinajin back. When he was within reach, Mizuki took the opportunity to land a swift blow to the base of Hinajin's neck, knocking him out.

"Hinajin!" Natsumi cried as she tried to get to him.

"Stay right there," Hebiuso said as he lowered his sword to Hinajin's head, "unless you want to make sure we finish him off."

Natsumi growled in anger, while Anki watched the whole scene with a scared expression on her face. "Why…" she asked herself. "Why is this happening? I've done nothing wrong! And why am I being called an Uchiha all of a sudden?"

Mizuki directed his gaze to Anki and laughed. "There's nothing to be afraid of now. Just walk on over here and give me your eyes, then I'll let these people go."

Anki gripped her head in fear and thought, "What should I do? What should I do? I can't let these people have what they want, but I don't want my mom's friends to get hurt. What do I do?"

"What the hell do you need someone else's eyes for, anyway?" Natsumi angrily yelled.

Mizuki grinned as he replied, "Not that you'd understand, but I'll be able to use chakra again if I get the Sharingan eyes of an Uchiha. I won't be back to how I was, but it'll be enough to cast a Genjutsu powerful enough to get the entirety of Konohagakure. Everyone will be trapped in an illusion of the "perfect world" they've dreamed about while all hell breaks loose in reality! It's the perfect revenge for how they've treated me!"

"…you think too small." Hebiuso's voice calmly replied as his sword ran through Mizuki's head. "Why settle for a small portion of the world when you can have it all?" He ended his last sentence by cutting Mizuki's head clear off his body.

Natsumi, Anki and Sakura watched horrified as Mizuki's dead body slumped to the ground as Hebiuso drew nearer to Anki. "Now with him and that idiot Konki out of the way, I can have the Sharingan all to myself. I've earned it after four years of idly watching the pampered bitch who was wasting it."

"So you're responsible for breaking Mizuki out of jail in the first place?" Sakura asked.

"That's right. I needed his help to translate a scroll I had found. I thought it contained some secret jutsu Konoha didn't want revealed to the rest of the world, and I didn't trust my own comrades at Kumogakure. Mizuki was a skilled translator before he was thrown away in prison, so he was my best option."

(Eight Years Ago)

"Done."

"Well, Mizuki, what does it say?"

"It's a medical report on how Kakashi was affected by the Sharingan being implanted in his eye. It's incredible!"

"Surely it isn't that impressive. Granted, being able to copy the attacks of others can be useful, but—"

"It isn't just that. According to this report, his chakra reserves increased tenfold and his chakra network improved greatly. He was able to use chakra at a more advanced level than any other. The Sharingan…if I got a hold of it, my own chakra network might be restored and I can be a better shinobi than any in Konoha!"

"It'd probably be easy to take over, too, considering Tsunade isn't in her prime and Naruto—"

"That damn brat is six feet under, so he wouldn't be able to stop me!"

(Present day)

Hebiuso continued his explanation as he walked toward Anki. "After I was told what the scroll contained, I wanted the Sharingan to myself. Seeing Mizuki formulate his revenge against Konoha, I decided to play the role of lap dog to hide my true intent. I even paired myself with that idiot Konki, who had just been declared a missing-nin by Iwagakure for having killed his team in a blind rage."

"How'd you find out about Anki having the Sharingan?" Natsumi asked.

"I was laying low in a town the troupe was performing in five years ago. I was about to leave when I noticed the girl alone, clutching her head in pain. When she opened her eyes, they were red and looked like an undeveloped Sharingan. Only an Uchiha could have eyes as perfectly red as those. I knew then that I needed to have those eyes and use them to conquer the shinobi world. I told Mizuki of this and asked if I could infiltrate the troupe and look for a chance to take the girl away without giving away my identity. After four long years, the journey through Sword's Edge Pass provided the perfect opportunity for me to make my move."

He then looked over the headless corpse of Mizuki and said, "I had no intention of helping that dumbass overthrow Konoha. He couldn't even see that I was using him the whole time. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that I can now have the Sharingan all to myself. It's wasted on someone who isn't even a shinobi, especially a pitiful girl such as yourself, Anki!"

Finally, Hebiuso prepared to pluck Anki's eyes out, grinning madly at the thought of finally possessing the Sharingan. However, at the last minute, Anki disappeared in a puff of smoke. As Hebiuso doubled back, he saw Natsumi and Sakura do the same.

"Damn! Shadow Clones! That means—" Hebiuso turned around and saw Natsumi and Sakura, now with a bandage around her leg, protecting Anki and Hinajin. Natsumi ran forward and tried to attack with an array of kunai. Hebiuso, however, knocked each one away with his sword and ran through Natsumi. However, she turned out to be another Shadow Clone, as she disappeared while ten more surrounded him.

As Hebiuso continued to fight off wave after wave of Shadow Clones, Natsumi (the real one) walked over to Anki and asked, "Hey, I know this is kinda sudden, but do you know any jutsu at all?"

Nervously, Anki replied, "…yes, I do. When I was seven, I taught myself how to use the Fireball Jutsu. I practiced in private because my mother had a certain...aversion toward shinobi and the five great villages."

Natsumi grinned and said, "Great! Now listen carefully. When I give the signal, I want you to—"

Natsumi whispered her strategy to Anki just as Hebiuso shouted, "Enough of these games!" He then spun himself in a circle, sword facing outward, to create a gust of wind so powerful it knocked out all of Natsumi's remaining Shadow Clones.

He then turned to the group and prepared another strike, but saw Natsumi running toward him with a glowing blue ball in her hand. "So now it's the Rasengan? You're just full of surprises, aren't you? Well, no matter. You're dead, bitch, no matter what attack you throw my way."

As he prepared to parry the Rasengan, Hebiuso noticed the orb getting a greenish tint to it. "What? She's combining the Rasengan with another jutsu? …No! She's adding wind chakra to it. I better finish this quickly!" Hebiuso readied his sword for an attack, this time boasting, "Consider yourself lucky. No one has ever been able to survive this attack!"

"I doubt you'll be able to attack at all!" Natsumi yelled as she hurled the Rasengan at Hebiuso. After she quickly got out of the area, she yelled, "Anki, now!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Anki thought as she exhaled a great amount of fire at the Rasengan. Without any time to evade, Hebiuso soon found himself engulfed in a roaring pillar of flames.

Sakura and Anki stared at Natsumi, amazed that she had thought of the strategy so quickly. Sakura took Natsumi aside and asked, "How did you know what to do?"

Natsumi grinned and said, "Naruto told me!"

"Naruto? What are you—"

"I had another vision. Kakashi-sensei was telling him about chakra natures and how the five elements complimented each other. I then remembered how he got control of his wind chakra."

Sakura stood amazed at her daughter, grinning like what she had done was no big deal. "Her visions are giving her access to knowledge that would normally be over her head at this stage. It's nice that she can understand it all, but I definitely need to consult Tsunade-sensei about this," Sakura thought.

"But how did you know I'd be able to use the Fireball Jutsu?" Anki asked.

Natsumi grinned wider and said, "Honestly, that was just a lucky guess. Good thing I was right, huh?"

After Sakura and Anki face-faulted at Natsumi's last remark, they noticed Hinajin slowly get to his feet. "Ugh, what happened?"

Natsumi immediately ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Hinajin! You had me worried!"

Hinajin blushed a deep crimson before Sakura pried Natsumi off of him and said, "Easy, Natsumi. I don't want him going unconscious again so soon."

Before the group could talk further, a faint cough was heard. Looking over at the crater, they saw Hebiuso, badly burned and barely alive, crawling out of it. "Tha…that was a surprising…tactic you used. I…I heard rumors, but I…I didn't think it'd be possible. Could you be…are you the reincarnation of Naruto Uzumaki?"

Natsumi walked over and said, "While that is true, I don't being referred to as "Naruto's incarnate." My name is Natsumi Haruno!" She then watched as Hebiuso dropped his head and drew his last breath.

(Three hours later; at the caravan)

Karin was going over what Shikako had her carpenters build for their wagons for four hours. Intrigued she asked, "Explain to me what exactly you've done, again."

Shikako shrugged and said, "Well, the extra-fortified walls on the wagons will help repel blunt and even bladed weapons, especially when you're circled up like this. Also, I added some hidden traps on the roof to ward off potential aerial assaults and some cannons that shoot spikes at their targets for long-range defense to the tops of the wagons. Hopefully, this'll help you fight back and/or discourage any bandits that try to attack."

"I'm impressed," Karin said, making a mental note to hire more people to manage these latest additions.

As Karin was about to turn in for the night, she caught a group of people walking toward the caravan. Her eyes swelled up with tears when she noticed Sakura's team arriving back with her daughter.

"Anki! I'm so glad you're safe!" Karin cried as she ran to hold Anki in a tight hug. Anki hugged her mother back and cried, "Mom! I was so scared! I don't ever want to go through that again!"

"Shh. It's okay, dear, it's okay. Mommy's here for you." Karin, still holding Anki, looked up at Sakura and her team and said, "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done without you here!"

Natsumi smiled and said, "It's no problem, really. Just a part of the job."

(Two days later; at the caravan's destination)

Shikako walked over and, handing Karin a piece of paper, said, "Now remember that the weapons I've installed in the wagons of your caravan need constant maintenance in order to do their job properly."

Karin accepted the paper and said, "Don't worry. We've got enough money to hire some people who will handle it." She then looked at Sakura and said, "Maybe sometime I'll come and visit you all in Konoha. We can put on a play just for you."

Sakura smiled and said, "I'd like that, and I'm sure Natsumi would like to see Anki again."

The two looked over to their daughters as Anki walked over to Natsumi and said, "I hope you have more awesome adventures, Natsumi!"

Natsumi grinned and said, "You know, you could come with us, back to Konohagakure. I'm sure you can be an incredible shinobi."

Anki got nervous and said, "I…I don't think I'd be able to handle it, after all. This past experience has gotten me, well—"

Natsumi put her hand on Anki's shoulder and said, "I understand. Just remember that no matter what, you've got a friend in me, and you can count on me to help you out with anything. Okay?"

Anki took Natsumi's hand in a handshake and said, "Deal."

Sakura looked at the sight and cried. She was finally able to see Naruto and Sasuke get along as friends without them trying to kill each other. The sight almost made her wish she could take Anki with them.

Not wanting to let her emotions take over, Sakura quickly bowed to Karin and said, "It was nice to see you again, but we have to get going. Natsumi, Hinajin, Shikako, time to go home!"

Team Sakura started walking down the path leading toward Konohagakure as Karin and Anki silently waved them off.

(Three days later; in the woods)

Sakura and Natsumi sat together around the campfire while Hinajin and Shikako slept until their shifts for guard duty came up. Natsumi was just told by Sakura about Anki and her past life as Sasuke Uchiha. Natsumi looked at her mother with a worried look and asked, "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Anki's past out of the report?"

Sakura looked as Natsumi and said, "I understand your worries. However, I've been told that Anki hasn't done anything that would hint she'd become another Sasuke. Besides, she was finally able to have a childhood with a loving family and now a good friend. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Natsumi leaned on Sakura, feeling tired from the mission. Sakura simply held Natsumi close and rested her head on Natsumi's.

Before she had the chance to fall asleep, Sakura heard Natsumi barely whisper, "Sasuke…I'm glad you've finally got a happy life."

Those words made Sakura's eyes shoot open wide as she looked down at her daughter, now in a blissful sleep, one she'd never had before. Sakura felt a drop of sweat roll down her face as she thought, "What was that just now? That couldn't have been Natsumi talking! Wa…Was that you…Naruto?"


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters._**

"Are you sure that is all that happened?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage. Everything in our report is accurate."

Sakura and her team were reporting back with Tsunade after the events of their last mission. All were lined up in front of Tsunade's desk while Sakura gave the details. Sakura was worried about Anki's involvement in the incident and hoped Tsunade would overlook it.

"What I don't understand is why they would kidnap Anki," Tsunade said, causing a small amount of fear to appear in Sakura's eyes. "If their target was the troupe's treasury, then why go through the trouble of infiltrating and kidnapping, unless the girl was—"

"She was the daughter of an important person to the troupe, not to mention she was in charge of the entire wardrobe department," Natsumi quickly stated. "I'm sure they would've paid any amount of money to see her returned."

"That is possible," Tsunade said, giving a quick glance at Sakura. She felt Sakura and Natsumi were hiding something important from her, but let the matter slip as she continued. "So, all enemies involved are now deceased."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Natsumi and I killed Konki, a missing-nin from Iwagakure, while Natsumi killed Hebiuso, a missing-nin from Kumogakure who was disguised as a mask-maker within the troupe. Before that, however, Hebiuso killed Mizuki, who was broken out of prison by the former for an unknown goal."

"Well, at least the problem was dealt with, and your team met the mission's parameters beautifully. I'd say your mission was a great success." After a small cheer from Hinajin and Natsumi, Tsunade said, "Why don't you all take the next few days off? I think you've earned it."

Before everyone left, Sakura turned to Tsunade. "My lady, if I may, there is something important that I need to discuss with you."

Natsumi turned and asked, "Mom, is everything all right?"

"Of course it is," Sakura said, smiling at her daughter. "I just need to go over a few things with Lady Tsunade. I'll be a while, though, so why don't you go to the Hot Springs to relax?"

"Thanks, Mom!" Natsumi hugged her mother tightly, then ran out the door for the Hot Springs.

As soon as Natsumi and her teammates left, Tsunade focused her attention on Sakura and asked, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, Milady, it's about Natsumi."

(Thirty Minutes Later)

Natsumi cheerfully walked into the lobby of the resort where the finest hot springs in Konohagakure were located. She had longed to bath in a luxurious hot spring, and her dream was about to come true.

As she walked up to the counter to pay for her time in the spring, she noticed a familiar person already at the front desk. She smiled and waved, saying, "Hey, Mrs. Hyuga!"

Hinata Hyuga turned around, blushed slightly and said, "Oh, hello, Natsumi. Are you here to relax after your mission?"

"Yeah. Mom's talking to Lady Tsunade about some secret mission details now and told me to take a dip here to unwind."

"Really? Well, would you mind joining me? I don't mind a little company."

"That's great! Thanks, Mrs. Hyuga!"

"Please, you can call me Hinata."

(10 minutes later)

"Aah, this is so good!" Natsumi sighed as she slid into the Hot Spring. "The hot springs back home are nothing compared to this."

Hinata chuckled and said, "I'm glad you enjoy this place so much, but surely the springs where you live aren't that bad."

"No, they're okay. The water's nice and all, but this place makes them seem like a kiddie pool."

"I see. Still, I'm sure there's something where you lived before that Konoha doesn't have. Is there anything about your old home that you miss?"

"Well, I do miss the restaurant I used to work in. I first got a job as a waitress a couple years ago and got to know everyone in town in only a few months. So many different stories and tall tales…I guess I miss talking with everyone."

"That's a great thing to miss. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure the stories you must have heard were interesting. But having people who you can laugh with and talk to about whatever troubles you might have…that's a very precious thing. Don't worry. I'm sure you can go back and have those kinds of talks again."

"Thanks, Hinata," Natsumi started to smile at Hinata's kind words. She remembered the usual customers at the restaurant who would go in and joke around with her just to brighten the mood.

Hinata saw Natsumi's contemplative expression and said, "You know, if you need someone to listen to for a while, I could tell you a little about my life for the last 14 years."

Natsumi looked up and said, "Really? You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

Natsumi found a comfortable sitting position and listened to Hinata as she began.

"I guess it's no secret to you now that I was madly in love with your past self." Natsumi and Hinata blushed at this comment, but Hinata continued. "I guess that's why I was so devastated when he died. Naruto meant the world to me, and I didn't feel like I could live get over the grief I was feeling. I even thought about joining him in the afterlife."

"That must have been awful."

"It was. Fortunately, there was one man who wouldn't let me be depressed for long: Kiba Inuzuka. He was good friends with Naruto and got me back on my feet by reminding me of how sad Naruto would be if he knew what I was thinking. Felling a little better, one thing led to another and eventually I married Kiba."

"That's nice. I bet he's been a good husband to you."

"He is. Ever since we started dating, he was always concerned with my well-being; especially when I became pregnant with our first child."

"Hinajin?"

"Yes. He was extremely careful with me, even when I told him I didn't need his help. When Hinajin was born, he did his best to make sure we were well taken care of, even when he was away on missions. He even set up a dog-summoning system to check up on us every other hour during long-term missions."

Picturing Hinata getting annoyed at the constant summoning dogs popping up when she was taking care of a baby Hinajin, Natsumi suppressed a chuckle and continued to listen to Hinata's story.

"He learned from Hinajin and lessened up when I was pregnant with Hibiki, my second child. She's in the Academy right now and it looks like she wants to be a medic-nin like your mother."

Taking a sigh, Hinata continued, "There are still times where I wonder what life would've been like if I had let Naruto know of my feelings sooner. If I had, however, I never would've had the joy of raising Hinajin and Hibiki with Kiba. They've really helped me grow up from the shy, timid girl I was."

"It sounds like you have a wonderful family, Hinata."

"Yes, and it's about to be even more wonderful."

Before she could ask what she meant, Natsumi saw Hinata place her hand gently over her stomach. Smiling widely, she said, "Congratulations, Hinata! How far along is it?"

"It's only about a month along. Kiba's been away on an A-rank mission and he hasn't sent one of his summoning dogs to check on me, so I haven't had a chance to tell him yet. I have a feeling it's going to be another boy."

"Cool! Have you thought of a name?"

Hinata smiled gently and said, "I think I'll name him Naruto."

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"I'm sure, Natsumi. Naruto's death affected me greatly, but now I know he's not really dead. Looking at you, I can definitely see his caring attitude. I think it's time I stopped longing for the past and look forward to an even brighter future."

Natsumi smiled and said, "I'm sure it'll be a future worth having."

(40 minutes later)

Natsumi walked into the apartment and saw her mother sitting at the table. "I'm back, Mom! The Hot Springs here are so relaxing; I definitely needed that after the last mission."

Sakura looked up at Natsumi and smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've got dinner in the oven right now, so it's going to be a while."

"That's okay. I can wait. I'll be in my room, so please call me when it's ready to eat."

As Natsumi walked over to her room, Sakura turned back in her chair and thought about what she and Tsunade had talked about.

(2 hours earlier)

"Natsumi? What about her?" Tsunade asked, wondering what Sakura had to say.

"Well, during some parts of the mission, Natsumi claimed to have visions."

"What kind of visions?" Tsunade said, now feeling a little uneasy.

"She claims Naruto was in all of them and that because of them, she knew what to do in the real world to complete the mission."

Tsunade thought about it a while, then said, "They all had Naruto?"

"That's what she claims. She also says she clearly saw Sasuke and a younger me. She said it was like she was actually there."

"Could it be…"

"What is it, Lady Tsunade?"

"Well, we know the base effects of the Rebirth jutsu you performed to bring Natsumi into the world. However, what if there's more? What if Naruto's memories were retained and lay waiting in Natsumi's subconscious to help her whenever she needed it?"

"Lady Tsunade, are you saying—"

"It's just a theory, of course, but maybe Naruto isn't dead at all. Maybe Naruto is alive in Natsumi's subconscious mind."


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey, Mom, are you okay?"

Sakura looked up to Natsumi and asked, "Wha…"

"You've barely eaten anything. Keep daydreaming like that and I'll have to eat your half of your dinner as well as mine."

Despite laughing slightly at her daughter's joke and even speeding up her eating to go along with the joke, Sakura couldn't get her mind off of what she had learned at Tsunade's office earlier that day.

(2 hours ago: Tsunade's office)

"Wha…What do you mean Naruto's alive? That's impossible! He was killed!"

Tsunade sighed and said, "I know how crazy it sounds, but it's the only explanation that makes sense to me. Think about it, Sakura; who else but Naruto could be giving Natsumi memories of Naruto's past?"

Sakura looked to the ground and was forced to admit, "N…No one else could. She did say she saw Naruto and Sasuke before they fought for the last time, and they were completely alone during the fight."

"Which gives my theory credence. I can't say with absolute certainty if this is truly the case, but it is entirely possible that Naruto's spirit is still within Natsumi to some extent."

Sakura looked up at her teacher and asked, "Do you think Natsumi knows about this?"

"Even if she does, I don't want you talking about it with her."

"But Tsunade-sensei—"

"Consider this an S-Rank secret. We haven't set anything in stone yet and are just as confused about what's going on as she is. Plus, if we tell her that Naruto's spirit is in her, she might begin to doubt her abilities and assume her success so far is because of Naruto."

"But she openly stated that those memories were how she was able to—"

"I know what she said, but a lot of her skills can still be accredited to the training you put her through. She was good enough to pass Iruka's test and become a genin, and this was before she started having her visions."

"…are you sure we should keep this from her, though?"

"I think it's the safest course of action we have. If she starts doubting herself, she could be more of a hindrance than help on missions. I know it isn't going to be easy, Sakura, but—"

"I understand, Tsunade-sensei. Don't worry about it; I won't tell her."

(Present Day)

Sakura sighed as she continued to eat dinner. Natsumi caught it and asked, "Is something wrong, Mom?"

Sakura turned to her to answer, but was suddenly startled when she saw Natsumi's expression. It reminded her so much of Naruto that she stuttered, "Na…Nats…No! Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all!"

"Are you sure? Because it sounds like you—"

"I told you I'm fine!" Sakura said, a little more forceful this time. She then calmed herself and said, "I'll take care of the dishes; you just get to bed and replenish your energy from the mission."

"O…okay, Mom," Natsumi said as she got up from the table and walked to her room. Before she closed the door, Natsumi could hear her mom crying, despite seeming muffled through something.

"Something's wrong with Mom," Natsumi thought before she climbed in bed. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was, "Mom, what can I do to make you happy again?"

(The next day)

"Morning, Mom!" Natsumi said as she emerged from her room.

Sakura turned from the stove and, despite looking like she'd been crying some more, smiled and said, "Good morning, Natsumi. How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby," Natsumi responded. "When are we getting back to training? I can't wait to—"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Natsumi, but we have the week off. It's standard practice for shinobi who've been on away missions for the village."

"Oh, man!" Natsumi sighed as she sulked in front of the table. "I can't stand not doing anything!"

Sakura set a plate full of pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of Natsumi and said, "Now, now, don't be so depressed. It's a good thing to unwind, especially after what we had to go through. Why don't you take this chance and get to know the village more?"

Natsumi was about to protest, but saw Sakura eating her food in much the same way as she had the night before. Thinking she'd find some way to lift her spirits, Natsumi said, "You know, I think I'd like that. Is it okay if I leave after breakfast?"

"Just be back in time for dinner. I don't want to be up all night worrying about you."

"Sure thing, Mom."

(3 hours later)

Natsumi walked through the business district of the village and looked at all the various shops that lined its streets. "I've got to find something to get Mom in a happier mood, but where can I—"

"Damn it, Choji, why can't you control your hunger?!"

Natsumi looked up to see a round man with brown hair walk out of a flower shop with a blond woman behind him. She recognized the two as Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, two of Sakura's childhood friends.

"I swear, every time I turn around, the kitchen is empty and the trail of crumbs always leads to you! You need to go on a diet, because if this keeps up, the profits from the flower shop aren't going to be enough to keep us fed! Your two children and I need to eat too, you know!"

"I'm sorry, Ino; it's just hard for me to—"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses! Just try to learn to eat less before you really become a legitimate fat-ass, okay?"

With a defeated sigh, Choji said, "Okay, you win. Anyway, I've got to go to the Hokage's office. Apparently my team just got a mission."

"So soon? But it's only been two weeks since you got back from the last one!"

"I'm sorry, but it's the Hokage. There's no way I'm going to disobey her orders. If I did, you wouldn't have to worry about my eating too much anymore. Besides, she wouldn't assign us a mission involving us leaving the village right after a previous one. It's probably going to be a D-Rank. I'll be back in time for dinner."

Ino sighed and said, "Fine, go; your genin probably need the experience. Just promise me you'll be careful with your eating from now on, will you?"

"If that's what you want."

After a quick kiss with Ino, Choji left. Ino turned to walk back into the flower shop, but caught sight of Natsumi standing in the street. "Hey, Natsumi! How've you been?"

Natsumi walked to her mother's best friend and said, "I'm fine. What was that yelling for?"

"Oh, you saw that?" Ino asked, slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. It's just that my husband's so obsessed with eating. I've been trying to get him on a diet, but he's just so…ugh, I don't even want to think about it!"

Ino stopped her rant when she heard Natsumi laughing. She shot a dangerous glare at the girl and said, "You think this is funny?"

"No…no, it isn't that," Natsumi said, although still snickering from Ino's remark. "It's just I needed something to brighten my day."

Ino now looked at Natsumi with a questionable look and asked, "What's wrong?"

(20 minutes later; in Yamanaka Flower Shop)

"Really? Sakura's in a sad mood?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, it started after Mom talked with Lady Tsunade about some details from our last mission. She just seems to be distracted by something, but she won't tell me anything. I want to make Mom happy again, but I just don't know how."

Ino looked at Natsumi and said, "Well, maybe she's just thinking about something too hard. Forehead's always been a hard thinker."

"Forehead?"

"That was my name for her. Of course, that was back when we were rivals for Sasuke's love."

"You and Mom were in love with that monster?!"

"Hey, back then, he was just like any other teenager. Every girl in our class wanted to be with him. He was just so cool it was sexy. Of course, we got over him when we learned all the horrible things he did. Sakura took the longest to get over, though. She even tried to kill Sasuke herself to move on."

"What? Mom did that?"

"Surprising, right? This was before the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and after that everything seemed to go by so fast."

"The Fourth War…" Natsumi repeated. She hadn't heard a lot about it, but she knew her mother's actions after the war were what caused her to be banished from the village. Looking back at Ino, she asked, "So, what did you do after the war?"

"Well, I was starting to think about what to do with my life, at least as far as my future as a shinobi went. But then I heard about Sakura and the jutsu she…Oh, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be talking about that—"

"It's okay, Miss Yamanaka; Mom told me about what she did and how I was born."

"Oh, okay. Well, I didn't know what to think then. I kept screaming in my head, "Forehead, you idiot!" over and over. A month later, she was sentenced to be banished from the village. I needed to show her we still cared about her, so I gave her a flower to remind her of home and the friends waiting for her."

"That's sweet," Natsumi said, a smile gracing her face.

Ino smiled and continued, "Then after that, I decided to marry Choji, the big guy you saw leaving earlier. A few years later I became pregnant and decided to quit being a shinobi in order to raise the kids and run the Flower Shop full time."

"Do you ever regret it?" Natsumi asked. "Being a mother, I mean."

"Nah. Sure Kyogi is always getting himself in trouble and little Tsuki's still learning to talk when he isn't stuffing his face like his father, but I've loved every minute of it. I'm sure Sakura feels the same way about you."

"Thanks."

Natsumi took the time to look around the flower shop and suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Miss Yamanaka, what flower did you get Mom when she left?"

"A morning lily. Why?"

(5 hours later)

Sakura walked back to her house exhausted from the volunteer work she'd asked for at the hospital. "I can't wait to get home and rest." As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted with an unusual sight.

A morning lily flower was sitting in a vase on the table. Looking over to the window, Sakura saw Natsumi placing a long pot of four other morning lilies on the ledge of the balcony, then grabbing a pot to water them.

"Natsumi, what is this?"

Natsumi looked over her shoulder and said, "Mom? Damn it! I wanted this to be a surprise!" She then covered her mouth, knowing Sakura hated hearing swear words leaving her lips when they were alone.

Sakura walked over to Natsumi and said, "I'll forgive your little slip of the tongue if you tell me what's going on."

Nervously, Natsumi said, "Well, Mom, I…I mean you were so sad I wanted to…I mean I talked with Miss Ino and she…No, I…I meant…"

Sakura put the pieces in her head and said, "You got these flowers for me, didn't you?"

"Ye…yeah. You just seemed so depressed since your talk with Lady Tsunade. I hate seeing you upset, so I wanted to find something to cheer you up. I ran into Miss Yamanaka and she told me about the flower she gave you when you left the village and, well, I thought it'd be a good pick-me-up for you."

Sakura looked at Natsumi with tears starting to appear in her eyes. Natsumi saw this and said, "Mom, why are you crying? I got these flowers so you—" She was cut off when Sakura pulled her into a hug.

"I'm not crying because I'm upset," Sakura explained. "I just remembered I have a remarkable daughter."

With a smile, Natsumi returned the hug and said, "Well, I do have a remarkable mother."

"Thank you."

As Natsumi pulled away from Sakura's embrace, she asked, "Hey, Mom, did you know Miss Ino used to call you "Forehead" when you were younger."

With a gentle smirk, Sakura replied, "Yeah, just like I used to call her "Pig.""

"Why'd you do that?"

"If you ever get a rival, you'll understand."


	13. Chapter 13

"Natsumi! Breakfast is ready!" Sakura called as she put a plate of pancakes on the table.

As she set her own plate on the table, Sakura heard the thundering footsteps of Natsumi run to the table. Natsumi sat down and was about to scarf down the pancakes, but then she noticed something. "Hey, Mom, you feeling okay?"

"I feel fine, Natsumi. Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little more energetic than usual."

"Well, I was always a little restless when I had downtime to relax after a mission, especially if it was like the one we just finished. I guess I'm a little anxious to train you and your teammates, that's all."

Natsumi took a bite from her breakfast and said, "Yeah, I guess I can understand that."

Before the conversation could continue, a knock was heard on the front door. Sakura got up and opened it. "Oh! Hello, Shikamaru. What are you doing here?"

Shikamaru stood in the doorway and said, "Well, Lady Hokage wanted me to let you know of a meeting later tonight. It's going to be in her office before the sun sets."

"I'll be there. Thanks, Shikamaru."

Before Sakura could get back to the table, Natsumi looked up and said, "Hey, you look a bit like my teammate Shikako."

Shikamaru shrugged and said, "Can't help it. I am his dad."

"Really? I hope he's been saying nice things about the rest of us."

"If he even talks to me at all. Anyway, I've gotta get going, Temari'll be coming home soon and I've got to get the house ready. See you later, Sakura."

As Shikamaru left, Natsumi asked, "Hey, Mom, was that guy always so serious?"

Sakura laughed and said, "I can barely remember a time when he wasn't…except in my wildest fantasies."

"Oh? Were you and him…"

"Of course not! It's just…it was nothing. Just a terrible genjutsu."

"Oh." Natsumi finished her breakfast quickly and said, "Hey, Mom, mind if I go out again today. I want to stretch my legs, and I can barely do that indoors."

"Sure, Natsumi, just be back before I have to report to Lady Tsunade."

Sakura stared at Natsumi as she left the house and thought, "Just like Naruto; a little too much energy."

(2 hours later)

"Ah, this is a great place to relax!" Natsumi sighed as she lay down in a clearing in the middle of a forest. "Nice breeze, beautiful trees, and even the grass feels comfortable. I can get used to this."

Before she could continue her thoughts, a shuriken landed right next to her cheek, just shy of scratching her face. Immediately she jumped up and ran for cover as two people emerged from the trees.

"Tenten, I think you might be slacking! I have fought you enough times to know this is not your best!"

"Don't worry, Lee; I'm just getting warmed up!"

Natsumi continued to watch as a slim woman in a beautiful qipao with buns in her hair fought against a man in a green skintight suit and a bowl haircut. The woman, whom she picked up was named Tenten, was summoning a variety of weapons from a scroll and throwing them at the strange man, named Lee, who was using his fists and kicks to fend them off.

Before they could fight any further, Natsumi stood from the bushes and said, "Stop it!"

Both Tenten and Lee looked toward Natsumi's direction and saw her. "Oh, you're Sakura's kid Natsumi, right?" Tenten asked.

"Please, don't fight like that! People could get hurt!"

Lee laughed and said, "Do not worry, Natsumi. This is common for us."

"What?"

"Sometimes, Tenten gets a little high-strung and needs to let off a little steam. That is where I come in and spar with her to get her to calm down."

"What were you fighting about in the first place?" Natsumi asked, before Tenten and Lee could start fighting again.

Tenten answered, "Lee was saying I was getting less efficient with my weapons after I gave birth to our kids. I was just proving to him otherwise."

"But why attack an unarmed man?" Natsumi asked pointing out Lee's lack of weaponry.

"Do not worry about me, Natsumi," Lee said, assuming a fighting stance. "My body is enough of a weapon to deal with my wife Tenten's."

"There you go again, Lee; biting off more than you can chew," Tenten said as she smacked him over the head with a frying pan. "Anyway, what are you doing out here, Natsumi?"

"I was trying to relax when one of your shuriken almost planted itself in my head!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Natsumi. We didn't think anyone else would be out here."

Natsumi let out a sigh and said, "I guess I can forgive you."

Lee assumed a fighting stance and said, "Natsumi Haruno, would you honor me with a spar? I have this urge to test your mettle against my power of youth!"

Before Natsumi could respond, Tenten hit him with a frying pan again and said, "Don't mind him, Natsumi; he's just obsessed with fighting new people all the time. You just enjoy the rest of your day, okay?"

"Sure," Natsumi said as Tenten dragged Lee, who was in pain after the frying pan to the head, back into the forest. As she walked back toward the village, Natsumi thought, "What a weird couple. They deserve each other."

(4 hours later)

Natsumi walked through the village some more before thinking, "I'd better start heading back. I feel like taking a nap, and by the time I wake up, it'd be time to head back anyway."

Before she walked away, she caught sight of Shikamaru and Shikako standing at the gate. Looking at them side to side, Natsumi could definitely see the similarities between them. The only difference she could make out was Shikako had dirty blonde hair in a messy style while Shikamaru had dark hair that looked like a pineapple on his head.

She then saw a woman with four spiky buns approach the two from outside the gate and wrap them both in a hug. She was about to ask the two a question when she saw Natsumi out of the corner of her eye. "Can I help you, girl?"

Shikamaru looked over and said, "Natsumi, what are you doing here?"

"You know her?"

"Yeah, she's Sakura's daughter and Shikako's teammate."

"That doesn't explain what she's doing here, though," Shikako pointed out.

Natsumi pouted and said, "Well, excuse me for wanting to take a walk around the village to avoid being bored all the time, Mr. Grumpy-Pants!"

The blonde woman laughed before Shikako could retaliate and said, "I see you've inherited your father's attitude towards women, Shikako."

Shikako turned away from her and said, "Whatever. I'll see you back home."

As Shikako left, the blonde woman approached Natsumi and said, "Please forgive him; he can be…complicated sometimes."

"Don't worry, Ms…"

"Call me Temari."

"Okay, Ms. Temari. Anyway, we're on the same team, and we work together just fine during missions."

"That's good to hear. I was worried he'd be a little trouble for you."

Shikamaru cleared his throat and said, "Temari, the list?"

"In my pouch," Temari said, indicating the pouch just above her behind. Natsumi blushed as she saw Temari flirt with Shikamaru.

Without a second guess, Shikamaru reached in the pouch and pulled out a scroll. "Thanks, Temari; we'll continue your welcome home party at home." With that, Shikamaru left the scene in a swirl of leaves.

Temari chuckled to herself and said, "Just like that man; too afraid to show affection in public. Honestly, I'm surprised he was able to pop the question."

"You two are really married?" Natsumi asked.

"That's right, and Shikako's our only child. I've been trying to convince him into having more, but that guy is business first and pleasure later. Unfortunately, given his position as a council member of Konoha, he thinks everything is his business."

Natsumi looked at Temari and asked, "So, what was that list you gave him?"

"Sorry, kid; that's a secret."

(2 hours later; in the Hokage's office)

"Everybody listen up!" Tsunade said as the shinobi of Konoha gathered together. "We just received the list of genin taking part in this year's Chunin Exams from Sunagakure. That leaves only us to select candidates. The genin who were unable to pass last year are still eligible, but I want to know if there were any new contenders."

Choji Akimichi stepped forward and said, "I am Choji Akimichi, leader of Squad Delta: Toshiro Ise, Momo Mitarashi and Kyogi Akimichi. I recommend all three genin for the Chunin Exams."

Sakura stepped forward and said, "I am the leader of Squad Sakura: Natsumi Haruno, Shikako Nara, and Hinajin Hyuga. I, Sakura Haruno, recommend all three genin for the Chunin Exams."

A man slightly taller than Sakura stepped forward next and said, "I am the leader of Squad Leaf: Sara Matsumoto, Amaru Lee, and Jin Aburame. I, Konohamaru Sarutobi, recommend all three genin for the Chunin Exams."

Before Tsunade could announce anything else, Shikamaru stepped forward and said, "I am the leader of Squad Shadow: Kenpachi Yamamoto, Rangiku Kato, and Asuma Yuhi. I, Shikamaru Nara, recommend all three genin for the Chunin Exams."

Tsunade nodded in acknowledgement and said, "Very well. Everybody, make the necessary preparations. The Chunin Exams begin exactly one month from now!"

(At an undisclosed location)

"The Chunin Exams are coming up. Do you think she'll be there?"

"What makes you think she wouldn't be?" 

"She just arrived at the village; how big an asset can she be to them at this point?"

"You're just worried we're doing this for nothing."

"Shut up!"

"Enough; both of you!"

"Yes, Boss."

"It doesn't matter if the Reborn is there or not; everything will still go according to my own plan.


End file.
